Dragons Among Serpents
by J.Noseworthy
Summary: There are two sides to every war. Ryuu Veil, the muggleborn Slytherin is the perfect weapon for the Order of the Phoenix. Draco Malfoy has been chosen by the Dark Lord and must complete his mission to fulfil the destiny he's been preparing for his entire life. This war is so much bigger than just Gryffindor versus Slytherin. COMPLETE: NOT FULLY UPLOADED.
1. Chapter 1 - Eyes Of Blood

Disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN 'HARRY POTTER.'

A/N: Welcome to Dragons Among Serpents. The story is complete, I'm just editing before I upload and I will try to post as often as I can. (I started today because obviously it is Draco's birthday :D). I intend to have the full story uploaded in approximately two months, perhaps three. This chapter is completely told from the perspective of my original character Ryuu (pronounced Ree-you). Everything up to fifth year is canon. This story starts in fifth year, although the plot is quite different to the book. There is no Secret Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix. Also Dragons Among Serpents is dedicated to Reeah Noseworthy, who I cannot thank enough.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 1 – Eyes of Blood

Ryuu

I jumped as the clock chimed its chorus of 'London Bridge is Falling Down' jerking my head upwards as the minute hand struck twelve. _Dammit. _I quickly marked my page and jumped from the longue. I didn't usually procrastinate like this, however the novel my mother had gotten me for my birthday was highly enrapturing. Clamping my fist onto the handles of the garbage bag I swung it over my shoulder and skipped towards the door. I laughed to myself, as I realised how foolish I must have appeared, hauling a sack of garbage over my shoulder like Santa gone wrong. _Line up, kids. You've been a jerk this year. Have some trash. _

Adjusting my shoulders to the weight, I hurried out the door, through the corridor and down the stairs, bustling passed Maria Roswell. My neighbour threw me a look of contempt as I wished her a complacent good morning and reached the foyer. It was eerily quiet, but I supposed that was expected of Grimmauld Place. As far as I knew, there weren't any children here and everyone else seemed to keep to themselves. However, I still knew all of my neighbours names, but I had a knack for remembering names.

I paused at the foot of the stairs. Sunlight poured through the windows by either side of the front door. The strange old man sat on the lone armchair playing chess with himself. Upon hearing my arrival he turned his head and gave me a wink. I nodded back, maintaining our usual routine, and tried not to smirk as Mr. Cornwall – who I'd nicknamed Mr. Creepy - turned back to his game. I glanced out the window, to see that there was no garbage truck in sight. Either it was late, or I was.

The summer breeze warmed my face as I stepped out the front door. A smooth peace layered the London morning, but I could taste a crisp chill in the air that promised rain. The bells of Big Ben continued to chime, stopping when they had reached ten. The startling cry of ravens caught my attention as they took flight from the rooftop. My mother hated all kinds of birds, especially the ones that haunted the nooks and crannies of urbanisation. As the fluttering of the raven's wings died out I heard a distant whir of an engine and knew the garbage truck would be here soon. I turned and walked across the pavement, which was dyed in the long twisted shadows of the trees in the courtyard across the road. Once I'd passed number 3, 2 and 1, I turned into the small alley cramped in between the beginning of Grimmauld Place and the old building next to it. The alley was deserted, the high walls showing rows of closed windows above me. Although the space was narrow, I glanced up at the lightening morning sky and took a deep breath. The rusty old silo bin was jammed at the very end of the alley, a mountain of garbage bags scattered over it like feathers on a crow's wing. Standing on my tiptoes, I hauled the rubbish over my shoulder and threw it into the silo, flexing my fingers.

_Now all I have to do is homework…_I grimaced at the thought of having to rewrite my notes for History of Magic, seeing as Dusk had thought it a great idea to use my original ones as a scratching post. Although I loved him, the kitten had been a troublesome creature ever since he'd arrived on my birthday. However he was getting better, after I'd trained him. My father had scoffed when I'd told him that I had taught Dusk how to sit and stay like a dog. Yet, it was true that the cat could follow these simple commands, however: _"Don't attack the shower curtain." _was completely foreign to him.

"Miss Veil?"

The familiarity of the voice clicked in my head and I paused. _Surely not? _I turned to see a tall lanky man in a shabby suit emerging from the shadows. He was staring at me, wearing a confused expression. His greyish brown hair didn't conceal a set of three large scars that spread up the left side of his cheek and onto the tip of his eyebrow. He stood in front of the exit from the alleyway, the sunlight highlighting his unkempt suit. "Professor Lupin..?" I began, feigning uncertainty. People usually didn't like when you knew who they were in a surprise confrontation without looking at them. "Is that?– Oh. My apologies, I haven't seen you in two years."

"What are you doing here?" his tone was guarded. And his brown eyes narrowed in a cautious way that I hadn't seen him use before. It was strange, the way he was looking at me. I remembered back to third year. He had been one of my favourite teachers, and I had received an exemplary mark for Defence Against The Dark Arts. I couldn't think of any reasons why he would be angry with me.

But it would have been naïve of me to ignore the distinct spark of annoyance that set his jaw in a lock and the suspicion that clouded his stare. Normally, whenever I'd looked at Professor Lupin when I was thirteen I'd seen traces of self loathing, a deep suppressed fear, but overall – a good hearted nature. The truth of my analysis had been cleared when his identity as a werewolf was pronounced at the end of the year – a fact I'd guessed at a few times because of the scars on his face and from what Professor Snape had been lecturing us about in his teachings.

However the full moon was far away, which meant that he must have been annoyed at a previous experience or at my presence. Perhaps both. One thing was clear. It would have been unwise of me to use the immediate smartass response that had come to my head as soon as he'd asked the question. So I went with a safer option.

"I live here," I said, keeping my tone polite and conversational.

He took a step closer, his shabby shoes clacking on the cement. "Who sent you here?" Lupin questioned, voice low and hesitant, but persistent all the same.

_He's on edge. _My eyes caught the fingertips on his right hand twitch nervously. I cast my mind back to third year. _Yes, Lupin used his quill with his right hand. Which means he also uses his wand with that hand. _The nerves in the back of my neck prickled as I tried to decide whether the finger twitch was a habitual yearn for his wand, or a nervous tick. _Proceed with caution, and get out quickly, _my instincts told me. Something about this entire situation was unnerving – that Lupin was here at _my_ home, questioning _me _like I'd done something wrong_._

"No one sent me here." I said coolly. I prepared myself for an unexpected manoeuvre. Lupin raised his eyebrow and I mentally cursed. Obviously he'd caught on to my discomfort. I straightened my shoulders, letting my body language slip into a state of indifference. He took a step closer. I took a casual step back.

"Ryuu Veil," he began, "you were in my class, right? Yes, you were quite good at the Dark Arts."

_Intimidation. He's using the knowledge he knows about me to try to threaten me into telling him something. But what does he want to know? Why would he go to such lengths just because someone's putting garbage away? _ I smirked. _Maybe he lives amongst the rubbish bins and is worried about trespassers. _He took another step closer. No, there was clearly something more to this. I breathed in deeply and moved towards him. He was wary, and I was about to find out why. I prepared my facial expression and pitch, slipping into the character.

"Okay." I sighed in defeat. "You got me."

His shoulders relaxed a little. "How long has Fudge known about us?"

_Fudge? _Unless it was a ridiculous code word, he could've only been referring to the Minister of Magic. I wondered why he was worried about the Ministry 'knowing about us'. The use of _us _worked in my favour. Lupin was feeling responsible for more people than just himself. _The pressure's getting to him. _What was even more intriguing was his assumption that I had something to do with the Minister of Magic – as if the Ministry was working through a fifteen year old girl. _How strange. _Suddenly, this all seemed very interesting to me, and I decided to investigate further. I'd already come this far.I snorted. "Like I'd tell _you_ that."

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, he produced his wand and pointed it at me. A silence fell between us and he raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Do I have to ask again?'

_Shit. Look what you've done now, Ryuu. _I forced myself to remain calm. Lupin was a teacher – the good kind. His natural instinct would go against striking down a young girl. This must have been a pretty dangerous game Lupin was playing, if he was worried about the Ministry finding out his secrets. I stared at him knowingly, continuing to keep my face blank and going over his words in my head. "Long enough to know what you're all planning," I smiled and added smoothly, "You think you can threaten me with a wand? I have Cornelius on my side – you can't touch me."

His eyes widened, and I knew I'd struck gold. Now he was really worried. However, I was still concerned about his wand. Of course, I didn't have a wand on me because magic wasn't permitted outside of school. In fact, I didn't have any weapons at all. What I did have was an unused hanky in my sleeve, and a sickle in the back pocket of my jeans. Not much to use against an agitated werewolf who could wield magic. Several strategies whirled through my head, and I quickly began to form a plan, hoping my emotions weren't slipping to the surface where they'd be visible.

"Is that so?" Lupin's eyes wavered. He lowered his wand slightly, thought better of it and pointed it at my head once again, advancing several steps. I folded my arms behind my back, fingers tugging at my sleeve, so I could feel the soft cloth protruding out into my palm. The gap between Lupin and I was significantly smaller now. My heart fluttered nervously in my chest, and I mentally hushed it into a calm, steady beat.

Lupin was getting closer and I was very aware of the tip of his wand pointing at my brain. I blinked away the stress and continued talking, anything to distract him as my hand slid into my back pocket and found the sickle. "We know where you are." It was a punt into general estimation, but I got the reaction I needed.

He froze, and I grinned. I'd struck a nerve."What do you know about Headquarters?"He blurted, eyes widening.

_Nothing. _"Everything."

His hand clenched uncomfortably around the hilt of his wand. I felt a twinge of guilt, but ignored it. He was the one who was out of line here. Who did he think he was, threatening an innocent bystander? Besides, I was so close now. The sickle was pressed into the palm of my left hand and the hanky hung loosely from my right. My nerves were bubbling at the surface, but I repressed them. What I was doing was risky, and I needed my wits about me.

"So," I continued, letting the sickle slide from my palm. "What are you going-" the coin hit the ground with a loud _ping_ that echoed off the stone walls around us. Lupin jerked in shock, the hold on his weapon lightening. Quick as a flash, I flung the handkerchief up at his face, and he stumbled back a few paces. I ducked under a spell that he fired out of reaction, grabbed his wrist and twisted. His yelp of pain was muffled by the hanky which still clung to his face, it's laced edge draped over the bridge of his long nose. With a sharp pull, Lupin's wand yielded from his hand and I held it in my own, mildly surprised at how unnatural it felt in my grasp.

I straightened, pointing the unfamiliar wand at its owner. Lupin had now regained his balance and was gaping at me, speechless as I took a step closer and he moved back. I couldn't help but shed a private smirk. Mid sentence attacks never failed – especially when you incorporated an extra element of surprise. Or even two. I'd considered whether or not I could use the hanky, and decided that I should. Lupin was experienced and stronger than me, and being short and unarmed I'd have to steal his advantage. I was still a tad shocked that I'd managed to pull that incredibly unlikely sequence of events off so smoothly, but didn't let Lupin see that.

The former Professor still seemed aghast. He carefully raised a hand, taking a breath and assuming a slow, drawn out voice. "You…aren't allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts."

"Try me." I said coldly, my expression hard.

He pondered this for a moment then tilted his head to the side slightly, in a kind of sideways nod. "Well, you should know this. Fudge is – _irrational." _He said to me clearly. "You shouldn't be working for him."

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" This was just all too easy. I didn't even need to think about what to say. "Cornelius _isn't_ irrational. He knows what he's doing – and because of me, he knows how to get to you."

Lupin stepped closer and I raised the wand higher. He stopped, regarding me with concern. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and spoke again, deciding each word with deep consideration. "Listen to me very carefully, Ryuu. The position you are in is only putting you in further danger." His tone was serious, and I felt my act dripping off like rainwater. "You may not understand now, but you are not safe with the Ministry and…_the others._" The way he said that made a shudder run down my spine. "It's not too late," Lupin continued. "I remember you, Ryuu – a good student. Don't get involved with _them."_

I kept the wand steady. _What was he talking about? _At first I thought that Lupin was up to something fishy and didn't want the Ministry to know, but what he was saying worried me. The tone he was using was laden with so much inner meaning that I wasn't aware of. The look in his eye screamed danger, but not from him. Danger for me. He was warning me, and obviously concerned for_ me_. I started to think that I'd read this scenario backwards. All I knew now was that I was done with acting, and wanted in on the truth, because now – I was getting a really bad feeling.

I lowered the wand slightly and watched his shoulders relax a little. "What's going on?" I began. "Who did you think I was, what's wrong with Fudge, who are you in a group with, why are you challenging the Ministry and who are 'the others?'" I demanded.

For a moment, Lupin stared at me in utter confusion, brown eyes searching my own. Then, when the realisation hit him, he sagged and cursed under his breath, shaking his head in dismay.

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After Lupin got over his initial reaction of shock and disgust, he finally started telling me about the Order of the Phoenix. There was no point in him trying to deny its existence now. We sat on the curb in front of Grimmauld Place, the ravens flitting like independent shadows in the trees across the road.

I found it hard to believe all he was saying was even real. I had lived here my entire life, and it was a mysterious fact that Number 12 Grimmauld Place was simply not there. Now that the truth behind the matter was revealed I felt immensely stupid. My magical blood should have been able to notice the existence of 12 Grimmauld Place, but I hadn't been looking for it. When I came back to my home after being in the magical world, I found myself enjoying the consistency of muggle life. Although dull sometimes, it was the life I had known for eleven years. Now that I thought about it, there had been times when I'd wondered about the numbering system in Grimmauld Place, but that was when I was a very young child. My father had said to me:

"I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it used to be there, but had to be knocked down for some reason."

I had then asked: But, if they did knock it down, wouldn't there be a space where the building used to be?" At this, my father hadn't replied and instead took a photo of buildings 11 and 13 side-by-side.

However, Lupin explained to me that the building could only be seen and accessed if you were standing directly on its doorstep. "Well," I said, my voice instantly assuming a stern but eloquent tone, "Technically you should pay us rent."

"What?" Lupin replied, one eyebrow raised.

"Your living here. My father owns every building in Grimmauld Place, and every tenant has to pay us rent for every month of their residency."

"Your father doesn't own Grimmauld Place." Lupin chided lightly. In the way that all educators do, Lupin went into a brief yet elaborate history about Grimmauld Place and the creation of the Order. As he continued to ramble I made a mental note to bring up the rent issue later. I pretended to be listening intently but really was more fascinated that this secret society existed, right under the Ministry's nose. I could see how it made sense to have this clandestine group during the magical war fifteen years ago, but to have it running again now, made me suspect things that I didn't like. Lupin added kindling to my sparks of suspicion when he turned the conversation to recent events.

I honestly didn't know whether the Dark Lord had returned or not, but what I did know, was that someone had killed Cedric Diggory. I would have been generally shocked if the murderer had been the only witness to the event, Potter. Everyone knew that he had done some strange things in previous years, but murder? No. He wouldn't have been able to do it even if he'd wanted to.

Thinking of it logically, He–Who–Must–Not–Be-Named returning would be more plausible than other things I'd heard. But I was still on the fence. Hogwarts didn't teach us anything about You-Know-Who in class, and he was barely mentioned in lessons about the war. _Besides, _I said to myself. _He died years ago. It's impossible to come back from the dead, even with magic. _

But from what Lupin was saying, and when I remembered back to the events from last year, a horrible churning hit my stomach. At the Quidditch World Cup there was a riot of Death Eaters – followers of the Dark Lord. Professor Moody turned out to be an imposter, also a Death Eater. And Diggory dropped dead in the final task. A niggling feeling of dread squirmed in the back of my mind, and no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it remained stoic like a cancer.

Lupin continued. "Fudge is refusing to believe You-Know-Who's return. He's paranoid and seeing enemies at every corner, except for the ones in his direct vicinity." Lupin sighed, shook his head and spoke in a low monotone. "We, as the Order, believe that Fudge is being manipulated by Death Eaters, and that You-Know-Who has affiliations within the Ministry itself."

He let the sentence hang and fester in the air, before I mustered up the words to say. "Well," I began, still trying to repress the horror of the moment. "It wouldn't be the first time. What with Barty Crouch Junior…"

_"Exactly,_ you're correct Ryuu." He turned his gaze on me, expectation etched on his face. The sick feeling in my gut only amplified. I quickly rose to my feet, realising that I still had Lupin's wand and returned it to him. I glanced at my watch. It was only half past ten, but perhaps I could make an excuse.

"Well…" I fumbled on the word. "It's been lovely chatting with you Professor, but I'm afraid I have to go. Back at school in three days, and I've got lots of packing to do…" I lied.

I got halfway towards my navy blue door marked with a golden four before Lupin called after me. "Wait, Ryuu. I have something to ask of you." I turned back to face him, repressing a cringe. I knew what that tone meant. Lupin placed his hands in his pockets and regarded me with an even expression. "Well, two things actually." He smiled. It was a kind smile, and seemed to make his entire face look brighter, despite the scars.

I regained a non chalant composure. "Sure."

"Firstly, I am no longer your teacher, so I would ask that you simply call me Remus."

"Okay, Professor."

He opened his mouth to continue, before snapping it shut at the unpredicted disobedience. Again he tilted his head to the left in a sideways nod, accepting my rudeness."Secondly, I'd like to invite you to meet the Order of the Phoenix."

The request was so abrupt and undeniably commanding that it was now my turn to perform a sideways nod. "Pardon?"

He laughed slightly. "Come now, Ryuu. You didn't think I'd just let you walk away with all of this information did you?"

I felt my eye twitch and tried to calculate how fast I'd need to run to make it back to my apartment. I felt my heart beat faster as I kept up the conversational demeanour. I laughed colloquially. "So – you're going to kill me to keep me quiet?"

Lupin looked hurt and he shook his head. "Of course not- _no. _Merlin's beard, Ryuu. Do you take me for a Death Eater?"

"Then what do you want from me?" I asked cautiously, eyeing him to see if he was lying.

"Honestly, I think you could provide some valuable contributions to the Order." The statement struck me hard. It had been said in such a Professor-ish manner, but it had still been a compliment. Praise was a weakness of mine. My mother used to jape that I'd turn to jelly at the slightest word of congratulations. Somehow hearing something nice said to me from someone I barely knew made me falter. _Valuable contributions? He wanted me to join the Order? _I mentally shook myself back into practicality. I tucked a blonde curl behind my ear. "Hmm…I don't know…"

"How about this," Lupin said, walking forward. "I could show you around Headquarters, and you just see what you think."

I frowned. Instantly my mother's voice soared through my head. _Don't talk to strangers, Ryuu. Don't follow strangers, Ryuu. Don't even look at strangers, Ryuu. If anyone suspicious comes near you, run. _He could've easily made up this entire thing as some kind of trap. But surely that wasn't the case. I knew Lupin – well, I knew him well enough. Dumbledore trusted him at least, and, even though I didn't know Dumbledore personally, I knew he was child friendly. He owned a school. Plus, a large part of me really wanted to see this secret HQ.

"Okay then Professor," I nodded. "But I hold your wand."

Lupin hesitated as my demand sunk in. He opened his mouth to protest, but with one look from me he performed another sideways nod and handed over his wand. "Fair enough." He said gruffly. I slid the wand into my jacket pocket as he led me towards number 11. I moved to stand behind him, and staggered when he suddenly held up a hand to stop me. Before us, stood the towering old figures of number 11 and number 13.

"Think about the numbers." Lupin muttered. "Quickly now."

For a moment I was perplexed before I realised. I stared at the old bricks. _The numbers. 12 Grimmauld Place. _

I felt my eyes widen when I saw the illusion of the bricks disappear to be replaced with what had really been there all along, a large aged wooden door. When I glanced around the door, I saw a darkened twin of the buildings surrounding it, windows blocked and with creeping vines poking out from splits in the brickwork. The timber of the door was a dark grey and the silver serpentine door knob gleamed at Lupin's touch.

"Wait." I said, "What happens if I go inside and don't join?"

At this, Lupin paused. He turned back to me, tapping his fingers on the doorhandle uncomfortably. "Well…that would be the part where we wipe your memory."

I rolled my eyes. "Ooh, goody. Sign me up."

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After Lupin had closed the door behind us, I felt like I had been transported two hundred years back in time. The entrance hall looked exactly the same as the one in my building, aside from the fact that it was completely different. Where usually the walls were painted with lightly toned bright colours, these were papered with sullen, aged prints that were torn and smelled like mould. Where normally there was a clean tiled floor there was a musty thick carpet decorated with intricate designs that I couldn't make out because of the layer of dust that covered them. Instead of natural light seeping in through the windows, the place seemed to be bathed in a constant state of night with candles dotting the gloom. The flames had obviously been cast, because their light beamed brighter than any normal fire did, and the room seemed as bright as it would if the windows were open. Although the hallway ahead was narrow, the roof was tall and spacious, which I was thankful for. Portraits lined the walls, most of them rather exquisite and all of them alive. Rather than Mr Creepy greeting me with a wink, the hatstand beside the door removed my coat and hung it off one of its brass hooks. The entire place breathed magic, and after having spent so long in the muggle world where things are annoyingly normal, it was a sigh of relief.

Lupin began to guide me through the house, talking about its history all the while. I was only giving him half of my attention. _That's the thing with teachers. Whether they're in school or not, they always try to educate you. _As I walked down the main hall I noticed a curtain covering half the wall and stopped in curiosity, sliding Lupin's wand into my pocket. As I leaned my ear against the black cloth I could've sworn I heard sounds behind it. I opened my mouth to ask what was behind it when Lupin desperately hushed me into silence and pulled me a few feet away.

"You mustn't make too much noise around her." Lupin warned quietly.

_"Her?" _I whispered back.

"Madam Black." Lupin explained, walking on. "She used to own this house. We keep her portrait covered because…let's just say that the artist captured her perfectly."

Eventually, Lupin led me to a room and told me to wait there. Once he had left, I observed my surroundings. The room consisted of a long ornate table that appeared too wide to fit inside the space. No décor lined the walls, but there was more candles in this room than I had seen in any others. There was only a small gap left on either side of it for people to walk through. Surrounding the table, were eighteen chairs. They were all of different variety; some were old fashioned plush armchairs, others rickety wooden stools. One in particular looked like a seat from a public bus. Yet despite their unusual attire, each seat looked personalised. _This must be where the Order holds its meetings. _I moved to the head of the table and admired the biggest chair of all. It belonged in a lounge room, which was why it appeared so salient in this area. The lounge chair was a deep purple colour with a faint imprint of floral patterns on the cushions. Although old, it appeared well kept, with its golden trimmings kept in neat shape, without a single loose thread. _So this is where the King would sit…_

My daydreaming was interrupted as I heard approaching voices. The door squeaked open and Lupin entered, another middle aged man close behind him. Before either of them could look up into the room, I was flat on the floor, hiding behind the lounge chair with my heart hammering in my chest. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! _I should never had come here, it was all a ruse. The face of the second man was unmistakable – I'd only needed a brief glance to know that. I'd seen it so many times before; laughing chaotically in newspapers and on posters. The notorious murderer who escaped from Azkaban. Sirius Black.

A silence thickened and curdled in the room before Lupin's voice sounded from the doorway. "She was just here a moment ago…"

My shoulders shook as Black spoke up in a surprisingly smooth tone. "Wouldn't be the first time you brought me to meet a girl and she turned out to be non-existent."

I heard Lupin's footsteps coming up from my left and peered around the right side of the chair. _Clear. _As quiet as a spider I sidled around the chair and began to crawl along the floor, listening to Lupin and Black bicker. _Lupin brought me here to kill me, He didn't have the guts to do it himself, but his colleague Sirius Black would. _My hands shook with every move I made. My head was pounding and I was biting my lip so hard I drew blood. _I mustn't die! _I thought in panic, and tried desperately to repress my fear.

"What's going on, Remus?" said another voice as someone unknown entered the room. _Great,_ I thought, _reinforcements._ As Lupin began to reply I scurried along the floor until I'd reached the end of the table. There was now about two feet between myself and the doorway, but it seemed like a mile. I knew I'd have to be quick, and hurriedly tried to prepare myself.

"Hey, who's that?" said the new voice.

_Shit. _I leapt to my feet and began sprinting, clumsily whacking my hand against the doorway as I dashed into the corridor. When I ran past the curtained portrait a high pitched raucous wail erupted from behind the drapes. "_Mudbloods! Blood Traitors! Filth in my home!" _Madam Black was not a pleasant woman. _Madam Black. Sirius Black. Of course! _I cursed myself for being so stupid.

I could hear running footfalls behind me and Lupin's cry of: "Wait, Ryuu!" The front door was in my sights. The panic was whirring away within me and all I wanted was to get out of here. I pushed past a ginger haired frumpy woman who gasped in shock. There was a noisy clang, and when I looked back I saw that I'd knocked the platter of cookies from her hands. For one insane moment I almost shouted an apology out of instinct, before remembering that I was being chased by a mass murderer. I kept running, the pounding of my feet muffled by the carpeted floor as I turned my head back to the door and ran head first into a tall, black figure. I was knocked aside, crashing into the kindly hatstand and sinking to the floor, head throbbing painfully from an unexplained impact. My heart was still racing, but my body was moving too slowly. I was bleary eyed when the hand pulled me up by my arm into a semi- standing position. "No!" I yelled suddenly, and thwacked and the hand's tight grip with a fist. I wearily noticed more people arriving at the scene, from the stairs and from the hallway, and suddenly the horrible screaming ceased. "No!" I began to kick and struggle at my captor, but they held on relentlessly. "Let go of me!" I hissed.

"Gladly." The recognisably slick tone said, and the grip on my arm stopped. I staggered back against the hatstand once more, which pushed me into a standing position. Even though I knew the voice, I still couldn't believe my ears, so I let my eyes investigate. Sure enough, there was the tall, lean, scowling form of Severus Snape, wearing his customary black and a dangerous glint in his eyes.

_"Professor?"_ I exclaimed.

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Never had I felt more awkward than I did now.

Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on me and the silence hung in the air like cigarette smoke. Each of the eighteen chairs was filled, including the 'Kings Chair' which I sat in. I had been wrong about its allocation however. This was the 'Subject's Chair.' There wasn't a single person at the table who didn't have a clear view of me and everything I was doing. Lupin's wand, which I had forgotten to use in my frenzied escape from Sirius Black, sat on the table before me. As I watched it slid across the wood, returning to the hand of its owner on the other end of the table. An enchanted teapot drifted from person to person, filling each teacup. Some people sipped at their tea, still regarding me with confused expressions. I glanced at Sirius Black, and he stared back acknowledging the distrust in my eyes. I had calmed down slightly when I'd learned that Snape was a part of the Order, and that had given Lupin enough time to say "Sirius Black is not a threat, Ryuu. He's innocent. Falsely charged. I should've mentioned before…I'm terribly sorry."

However despite this, I was still sceptical. Lupin had gone into a rough explanation about The Dark Lord and a man named Peter Pettigrew, which did fit into the story of Black's arrest well enough. However, before I'd taken one step back into the hallway I'd looked at Snape for confirmation and he'd simply nodded.

I looked over at the Professor, who was seated three chairs down from me to the left. He seemed to be the only individual at the table who wasn't staring at me.

When the teapot had finished pouring tea into my cup, Lupin cleared his throat and brought us all out of the intense fog that had settled over us. "Well, let this Order of the Phoenix meeting commence. I presume you're all wondering at the…recent events." His eyes slid to Black who's mouth twitched slightly. "That kerfuffle earlier on was simply a _misunderstanding,_ nothing more." He quickly continued, nodding at me and pointing to the man seated next to him. "Right – this is Kingsley Shacklebolt…" I focused my eyes on each person individually as Lupin declared their names. Some sounded familiar, but most were foreign to me. I managed to relate each name to a face, and committed them to memory. I'd already embarrassed myself enough for one day.

"…and everyone, this is our guest Miss Ryuu Veil." Lupin completed, and once more all of the eyes swished over to me.

I figured I should say something and cleared my throat, thinking. "Hello," I began carefully, looking from Mad Eye Moody to the pink haired girl called Tonks. "I…" Sirius Black's eyes narrowed. And when I glanced around the table again, I felt myself flushing. "I apologise for the biscuits…" I managed to say, staring sheepishly at the ginger woman who I was surprised to find out was Molly Weasley.

The woman blinked before smiling warmly. "That's quite alright dear, I had another batch that was cooling down."

Now that the torturously drawn out waiting was done, Lupin recounted what had occurred in the alley, down to the last detail. I watched as the members of the Order listened, and felt a flicker of satisfaction when I noticed a few of them smirking when he reached the end. Sirius Black was one of them. "Remus, are you saying that you were deceived by a fifteen year old girl…" his tone was mocking. Lupin blushed. "…who managed to disarm you; using a _handkerchief?"_

Lupin's eyes flickered to the table and he coughed in discomfort. "Yes."

The man laughed into the back of his hand. "Oh, Moony! You are never going to live that down!"

Most people joined in with the minute laughter, including me. It really was quite funny, now I thought about it. The mood at the table had considerably lightened from when I had sat down. People weren't holding themselves as stiffly anymore, and actually seemed a lot more friendly. Black and Lupin whispered to each other, and Tonks joined in with a sly remark and a wink. Mundungus Fletcher leaned back in his chair, grinning. I observed him carefully as he stirred his tea with a small silver sugar spoon the table had provided. Slicker than grease he flicked the spoon into his sleeve and absently placed his hand into his coat pocket, flicking his wrist slightly to drop the spoon in there.

A smooth drone sliced through the giggle filled room. "If you've all finished chortling, I think it best that we attend to more pressing matters, the main priority being…why we are here." Snape fixed his gaze onto Lupin.

The room went silent. Apparently, no one knew the meaning of this meeting and everyone appeared interested. I shifted in my chair, anxious about what would come next. Lupin had hinted about recruiting me; but the formality of the meeting and the fact that he'd involved everyone made me think that he had more to say than a simple: "Join the club, kid."

Lupin stood up from his chair, face lined. "We all know that war will soon be upon us."

I never thought silence could get quieter.

I was wrong.

_War. _The word made a shiver course through me, and I felt an awful sinking feeling inside. Lupin had told me some conspiracy theories that I was as willing to believe as I was to deny, but he'd never said a word about war. How was I supposed to sit here quietly when everyone in this room thought doom would soon be upon us? But I held my tongue.

"I assume most of you remember how it started last time? You–Know-Who gathered forces. He chose entire families to serve him." Lupin said grimly. "He had trusted colleagues who He even shared his most secret schemes with." I noticed with surprise that a few people's eyes flickered to glance at Snape. However, upon noticing this he threw them a glare that would send chills up a lion tamer's spine; and they quickly looked away sheepishly.

Lupin continued. "Well, you will also remember that Hogwarts was attacked from the inside. Because of You–Know-Who's influence over their families, some of the students in the school were actually Death Eaters."

A chill pricked at my shoulders. Now that I hadn't known. I tried to imagine somebody my age fighting in a war, but couldn't. It was too unnatural an image. I wasn't ignorant of child soldiers, and the horrible things going on around the world. But that didn't mean I liked to think about it. "What's to say it won't happen again this time?" Lupin finished.

Everyone was staring off into space, clearly in deep thought. I hated to think about it, but what Lupin was saying was surely possible. It worked once, it'll work again. Nobody likes to think that teenagers would get involved with bad people, especially when they seem to be the everyday school student. _If I was the Dark Lord, that's what I'd do. _I raised my eyebrows. _Did I seriously just think that?_

A deep voice brought me back to reality. "What are you suggesting we do, Remus?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Lupin turned to stare directly at me. "We all know that He Who Must Not Be Named has a certain…_affiliation _with Slytherin house."

My heart sank. _Of course he wants me to do something. _

"I'm suggesting that we use Ryuu as a spy for the Order."

_Oh shit. _All of the faces swerved in my direction, but I only had eyes for anyone could open their mouth I quickly adapted a response."Me? You want me to betray my friends and leak information about them back to you?"

For one glorious moment Lupin's brown eyes wavered, before Snape cut in. "She's lying."

My eyes narrowed upon the black clad figure. "Excuse me?"

Snape raised his voice, yet it still sounded low and sinister. "Because of her blood status Ms. Veil has been disregarded by the rest of her house since her first year. As I understand it, she has made no alliances with anyone from Slytherin house."

_Bastard. _Snape had obviously realised that I was unwilling to do what Lupin asked of me, but he'd still sold me out anyway. I repressed my annoyance with pressed lips and simply threw him a look. Despite my cold stare, Snape appeared completely indifferent, with a pinch of undeniable smugness. Tonks spoke up from the far right corner of the table, her cockney accent moulding her words. "What do you mean by that?"

I turned my attention back to the table and held my head high. "He means that I am a muggleborn." I said clearly, my eyes darting around to see who would speak first.

Tonks's violet eyes widened. "And you're in Slytherin?"

I nodded, remembering back to the day when I discovered why all the other Slytherins ignored me. I had found the answer in a book called _Hogwarts A History. _Apparently, there hadn't been a muggleborn in Slytherin for 4oo years. It made me wonder just how old that book was itself. "At first the other Slytherins didn't take too kindly to the…" I paused to think of the appropriate word. _"blemish_ that had befallen their perfect pureblood house." A few of the people at the table looked away from me with heavy eyes. "Over time that little game lost its fun and they chose to simply ignore me. Now," I felt my voice deepening so I sat up straighter and made myself appear non chalant. "they barely know I exist."

"Well, this is perfect…ain't it?" said Mundungus Fletcher, clearly oblivious to the sombreness of the moment. "You all heard what Lupin said. She'd be able to deceive 'em."

Murmurs of agreement coursed throughout the room. I leaned forward flattening my hands on the table and noticed Snape sitting perfectly still. I could see he was thinking the same thing as me

"What if I don't want to?" I said loudly over the ruckus.

Instantly there was a shocked silence and then several people spoke at once. Backfire responses of "Well, that's a bit short sighted" and "You'd be doing a good thing" flittered from mouth to mouth. Lupin held up a hand to silence the crowd and said "Let her speak."

I cleared my throat. The table waited for my verdict. "If I spied on Slytherin, that would be a huge betrayal to my house."

Mundungus Fletcher frowned, rocking back in his wicker chair. "…And?"

"And," I continued sincerely, "Slytherins don't betray other Slytherins."

Several sounds of derogatory amusement protruded from the Order. As one, Snape and I turned our attention to the main source. Mundungus stiffened at our synchronised actions like a rabbit caught in headlights. "I'm just saying' is all." He continued lowly. "By reputation, you snakes don't know much about _honour."_

I bristled, and stood up from my seat. "Is that so, Fletcher? Why don't you turn out you left coat pocket and show everyone how _highly_ you regard honour."

An outburst of retaliation came from Mundungus who also stood up in his seat and made to move over to me. Snape also stood up and drew his wand, pointing it at Fletcher before he took a step closer. "Enough!" Lupin snapped, breaking the tension. His gaze switched only to me and the table settled down. "Ryuu, please. We could find out things that we weren't prepared for last time. Lives could be saved!"

I bit the inside of my lip and looked at Snape, my face a silent question. "I am extremely dissatisfied about the idea of my house being held under surveillance," he replied. "But I must agree. The Dark Lord has many plans; one would be a fool to deny it. This precaution could be of great use."

"Well, why don't you do it then, Professor?" I argued.

Snape sighed. "It may completely _goggle _your mind to think this, Miss Veil… but we Professors actually have _work _to do. It would be more prudent if the spy was among the source of information _all the time; _rather than just one lesson a day." His unyielding eyes locked onto me and I found it difficult to break their hold.

I sighed. Everyone was looking at me expectantly. "I need some time to think."

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The meeting was called off, and the crowd of people began to surge through the door. A few members spared a glance in my direction, including Tonks. Her curiosity was rewarded with a crashing sound as she stumbled and fell against the door. Clumsily, she straightened herself up, and left. And then the room was empty. I knew that it was always easier to clear my head if I was doing something, so I strolled out the door and began to explore the building, taking care not to make too much noise.

Lives could be saved. That's what Lupin had said. And maybe he was right, perhaps the things I would learn as a spy could highly benefit some people…and disadvantage others. If some lives are saved then it's possible that others aren't. And what if I failed - would my life be saved? No, I didn't like the idea of being responsible for the welfare of other people. I wasn't like my mother. How could I put myself in the mindset to save a life?

I rounded a corner. Besides, I wasn't sure how I would go about spying and sleuthing. _Well,_ a voice in my head told me, _you pretty much do that all by yourself._ Although I wanted to deny it to save myself some time, I was right. There was hardly a moment when I could stop myself from reading between the lines and mentally questioning every move and word people made. Mostly it had become habitual, focusing on every detail of a person. I knew plenty more things about people than they expected, just from listening and watching. But to be fair, people didn't expect much of me in the first place.

_Anyway, _I thought as I ascended the creaky old staircase, _If there is a war on the horizon do I really want to get involved? _I'd learned about You Know Who from word of mouth and from what I'd heard, he was one of the most powerful wizards in magical history. If he did return, I didn't like the odds for the Order. _And for people like me, muggleborns. _I hated the warped views of the Dark Lord and his prejudiced followers probably more than most. I considered it vile to judge someone's worth by their blood. It was literally an equivalent to racism, sexism and homophobia – _paradigms which have done wonders for the muggle world,_ I thought cynically. But opinions wouldn't keep my head attached to my neck. If there was one thing I'd learnt from being in Slytherin it was when _not_ to speak my mind.

I stopped wandering as I was confronted by a door. I looked back the way I had come, but nothing seemed familiar. _Dammit. You've gotten yourself lost now._ I knocked, and wasn't surprised to hear a sing song reply of: "Come in!"

Stepping inside, I said, "Hey, I think I got los-" I froze. _Oh Shit._

The large room contained six occupants. Sitting beside the fireplace was Hermione Granger, her impossibly curly hair tied back in a loose bun. Her eyes were averted downwards, scrolling horizontally across the pages of the immensely large book resting upon her lap. Several other novels lay piled on the floor beside her. All appeared read and re-read. A crimson lounge was crammed into the left side wall of the room. Seated upon it were three individuals. Ginny Weasley was reclining and squabbling with her brother, Ron, who said: "Shut up, Ginny. We're trying to talk about Quidditch here." The other person he was referring to was Harry Potter. He sat closest to the door, his palm resting against his temple. His bright green eyes appeared dull and unseeing – unusual for him. Opposite them were the Weasley twins. They were sitting on top of a table, the twin on the left drawing on a piece of old parchment. Every now and then, George, who had a freckle on his upper neck that his brother lacked, would show Fred the paper and ask: "What do you think?"

I slowly took a step backwards, but it was too late. They had already seen me. Before I could escape, the twins paused in their work and met my stare. In unison, they raised a hand of greeting and said "Hello." This seemed to catch the attention of the entire room. I imagined I probably looked like a criminal caught at the scene, only instead of blood on my face there was extreme discomfort. My eyes darted sideways to the empty hallway. _They've already seen me now. If I run away, that'll look extremely suspicious. _But I really didn't want to go in there.

"Would you like to join us?" asked Ginny with a polite smile.

_No. You all disgust me._ "Sure." I said simply, returning a fake grin. What else could I do? I'd guessed that the Weasley kids might be here because their parents were at the meeting, however I'd hoped I wouldn't run into them. Granger and Potter were a surprise. And not the good kind. I couldn't feign that I had somewhere to be, because of my unfamiliarity with the building and the Order's idiosyncrasies. It was likely that each person in this room knew the members of the Order, so I couldn't pretend to be Lupin's daughter. _How annoying. _I cursed myself as I entered and leaned against the wall. Conversation hadn't built up yet, and already my distaste for these people was swarming. A respectful silence flooded the room. They were all waiting for me to introduce myself. Typical.

Granger was the first to surrender. "I'm Hermione," she began to indicate with hand signals; "this is Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred and George."

"I know who you all are." _Stop it Ryuu. This is foolish. _Although, I had to admit, it was immensely satisfying to see the look of embarrassment hit her expression like a brick wall.

Another silence. All of them were exchanging sideways glances at each other as if I couldn't see it. I waited for the next question. This time, it was Ron. "So, do you go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I've been in almost all of your classes since first year." My tone was venom, smooth and unwavering.

"Oh…" Ron's reply was vacant.

My irritation was growing, and I could feel traces of it seeping out. I was already in a bad mood, and to make me endure this embarrassment was a mockery. I didn't have the patience for these petty little hypocrites. Not today. I glanced at the door and knew I should leave. But my anger was an archer, and I was far too frustrated to leave without firing off at least one arrow. So I let myself laugh. It was only a small giggle, but I conveyed enough by it to communicate it was derogatory. The twins glanced at each other and Ron flushed. As expected, Ginny flared up. "What's so funny?" she said hotly.

_"Unbelievable."_ I was still mocking, and felt my lips smirk. "It's just like first year all over again. I suppose you want me to introduce myself and tell you how great you all are." At that comment I spared eyes for Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Everyone was looking at me as if I had just spontaneously caught fire. But Harry was the worst. He sat silently, glaring deep in my eyes with a stare I'd never seen him use before, cold as a refrigerator and heavier too. He cracked his neck slightly and his finger twitched.

"What are you talking about?" said Ron suspiciously, who was standing up now.

"Just your judgemental personalities." I looked at each person, individually. The twins were both sharing the same frown. Ginny was now standing by Ron's side, her eyes fierce. Ron's expression was one of ninety percent confusion and ten percent frustration. But Hermione was looking at Harry with unease, and I could see why. Something in Harry's face seemed so…unnatural.

"I just find you all a bit suspicious. Nothing_ personal_ of course," I remarked with a shrug "besides the private bigotry you harbour." My tone was louder. "I never did anything to offend you, but one small look at my Slytherin tie and suddenly I was your greatest enemy." I snapped. I hadn't realised just how much I disliked these people until I'd started talking.

The twins slid down from the table. "You're a Slytherin?" Fred started.

"What are you doing here in HQ?" finished George.

"Exhibit A." I remarked coldly, leaning back against the wall.

Several insults flew at me from several directions. I ignored them all. I'd gotten what I wanted out of them, a reaction. A part of me knew how immature that was, but another part of me didn't care. They had all just been too easy to provoke, and it was strange how good it felt to just let loose and display people for the pretentious jerks they were. Ultimately, I knew this led to me being a jerk, but as everyone always said; nobody's perfect.

"You can't say that!" Hermione snapped, placing her book aside and getting to her feet. "Slytherins are awful to us – especially people like me, muggleborns."

I laughed at her ignorance. "Is that so?"

Suddenly, a hissing sound erupted from the lounge to the left of us. Harry slowly rose to his feet, his body tense and his messy dark hair covering his face. The entire room stopped and stared at the motionless figure. And then, almost robotically, Harry snapped his head up and threw himself at me. I flattened against the wall, screwing my eyes shut and preparing for the impact. But it never came. When I opened my eyes it was to see Harry being restrained by Ginny, Ron and Hermione as he thrashed wildly and yelled nonsensical words.

_No, not Harry._

_It's eyes were red and I couldn't tear myself away from them. _

_It's eyes were red and I was paralysed. _

_It's eyes were red and all I could do was listen._

_It's eyes were red and I heard a deafening crack somewhere, far away. I paid it no heed._

_And then it started talking. I didn't understand what it was saying, but I felt it was important, so I listened to every word intently. It sounded like it was hissing and spitting at me, and I was scared. I was scared of what I did not understand._

_It's eyes were moved further away when hands grabbed at it. And then a hand went over its eyes of blood red – _

I blinked, reality crashing back into place around me. My sight came first, and I vaguely realised how crowded the room was now. A glomp of bodies surrounded the still struggling form of Harry, who's eyes were covered by Lupin's hand. Suddenly, I could hear again and many voices were yelling at once.

"Ryuu!" Lupin shouted, "Run!"

And I did.

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Memories flashed before my eyes.

I was back in first year again. It was a lunch break. The grass was green and the sky was a cloudless pristine blue. All of the students emerged from the castle to relax in the warm weather. Everyone went off to their personal social circles. There were some third year boys throwing stones in the lake to provoke the angry wrath of the giant squid. A Gryffindor couple strolled through the gardens, oblivious to the environment around them. A Ravenclaw girl and a Hufflepuff boy were playing Wizard's Chess to the delight of several onlookers. The girl was clearly more experienced and after momentarily studying the board, she muttered, "Queen to E3. Checkmate."

A group of young Slytherins, both girls and boys were gathered under the shade of a large flowering tree. I recognised some of the girls from my dormitories. There was Daphne Greengrass chatting to a brunette called Tracey Davis. And there was Pansy Parkinson, who was trying to catch the attention of the popular blonde boy across the lawn.

My usual spot was underneath the walkway wall, about ten feet behind the tree. I walked along the grass, avoiding eye contact with the people in my house and hoping they wouldn't notice me. As I got closer to the tree, I hurried my pace slightly, relieved when I'd walked past and hadn't heard an insult.

Then out of nowhere there was a loud crack and an invisible force crashed into my back, pushing me face first onto the grass. For a moment I lay there, listening to the laughter drifting around me like wind. "Stupid mudblood…" remarked the nasal snarl of Pansy Parkinson. I knew that if I tried to get up, they'd trip me again. I waited until the joke had lost its fun and the chortles had died down getting up and brushing the loose blades of grass from my robes. I lifted my head as I heard laughter arise from in front of me. But this laughter was different. It wasn't cruel or mocking. My eyes searched for the source and I found it quickly.

A trio. Two boys and one girl. They were all Gryffindors, and they were all easily identified. Of course, it was the eleven year old versions of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. I remembered that I had overheard them talking in a few of my classes. The Weasley boy always seemed to have a funny comment that would brighten the mood of the crowd around him. Hermione was very intelligent, and was the top student in our year. And Harry…he was unique.

I hadn't realised that I had been walking towards them until I was quite close. I stopped as they looked up at me. I smiled. It was a weak attempt, but I wasn't even sure what I was trying to do, anyway.

"What do you want?"Ron said.

"I…" I began to speak, but I actually wasn't certain if I knew the answer to his question. Before I knew it, they were standing and walking away, each of them giving me a grimace as they did so.

Many emotions had mingled within me at that moment. The most prominent however was the feeling of injustice. Apparently for them, the silver serpent on my robes had said all I could ever say. It had occurred to me then just what the doctrine of this world was. How _hostile;_ to divide children into four groups. Four houses with reputations and moral codes that define you for life. With that system it was only expected that competitive natures would arise, that instant rivals would be made and unity shattered. That there were only good people and bad people, intelligent minds and simple thinkers, brave hearts and cowards. There was no grey area, no mix-and-match. Just green, red, blue and yellow. But all of this conflict, all of this segregation was simply swept aside. Ignored. Just like me.

And so I had sat alone, every day.

The door opened with the same creaking sound as all the others did in HQ. Lupin gave me a comforting smile. "He would like to see you, Ryuu."

As I stepped inside, I was surprised to see a beautiful snowy white owl perched atop a set of drawers beside the doorway. There were flecks of charcoal feathers spread evenly over her body and her golden eyes glinted. She made a pleasant hooting sound as I entered. The room was plain and quite similar to the others that I had been in today, except for the large four poster bed stationed in the middle. The area was wide, and light seeped in from the open window. The old timber floor breathed dust through its cracks with each step I took. Harry stood at the window, hands in the pocket of his jumper and mouth set in a hard line. His eyes were back to a bottle green, a sight I was relieved to see. The sun was starting to lower, afternoon was nigh. I could hear the sounds of the street below, comforting to my city-attuned ears. I glanced at my wrist, feeling strange that less than two hours ago I'd been worried about missing the garbage truck.

Harry coughed, and I realised that I'd been lingering. He turned away from the window, and seemed to fully acknowledge my presence for the first time. I stepped forward, hands behind my back.

"Hi." I began weakly.

"Hi." he replied. He seemed to have taken my greeting as very sincere, for which I was glad. Because I was pretty sure that I could've said a thousand more appropriate things than 'hi'.

The moment rang with intense awkwardness and I bit my lip. My mother had told me once that I knew exactly how people conveyed their feelings to each other in _theory_, but the _practical_ was completely beyond me. And she was completely correct. Apologies were not an expertise of mine, particularly in a situation like this. It would have been simpler if I was apologising for accidentally standing on Harry's foot, but that wasn't the case. Somehow I had to tell him that I was sorry for provoking him into an epileptic state in which his mind was invaded by the evil presence of the Dark Lord.

I stepped forward again, glancing up at Harry's patient face and eventually just let the words stream out in a blur of infinite rambling. "So, how I acted today was kind of inappropriate. That is to say- I'm err…going to apologise; and that is what I'm doing, when I'm talking to you…right now. Because I kind of think that you're going through a rough patch at the moment; what with the impending threat of a war and Diggory dying and everyone thinking you're a liar, which is ridiculous because you're the Boy Who Lived and you've always seemed pretty genuine to me - so why would you start lying now? Oh, and also! I meant to give my condolences for your loss."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the speed of my speech. "For Cedric?"

"Well _actually_, I meant your parents." His eyes, which had been previously filled with a blank quality cleared as I said that. "I figured most people say this to you when they meet you, but I still think that I should pay my respects for what happened, but you're probably used to that…"

Harry shook his head slowly. "Actually, not many people say that to me. Usually they're just glad to meet the Boy Who Lived."

I felt an awful pang of self loathing. _Nice job Ryuu._ "Well…then I am kind of regretting bringing it up, so I'm sorry about mentioning your…dead parents." I said the last bit in a half whisper and quickly continued. "I guess I'm kind of uncomfortable introducing myself to someone that I've known for four years. Not that you know me, but I know you…everyone knows you. I mean your Harry Potter, Triwizard Champion – I was hoping you'd win…well at first I was going for Diggory, because you know…_Potter Stinks._" I winced and elaborated, waving my hands desperately as he regarded me with raised eyebrows. "Not that that's true, it's just what was on the badges. I mean, I don't think you smell. You probably smell really nice. Not that I've smelled you before or am asking to now because that would be weird. And I know that. I didn't even have a badge or anything, it was just the some of the Slytherins, well just Malfoy's gang really, but I don't care what _he_ does. So yeah. But I was still going for Diggory at first but then I saw you in the challenge with the dragon; and you fly _really_ well. Amazing, actually. I mean kind of noticed it before in Quidditch matches, but I was always cheering on Slytherin and kind of hoping that you'd fall of your broom and die…not that I want you to die!" Harry was simply staring at me now with an expression of transfixed shock.

"I mean, I don't hate you! Not like the other Slytherins…well I might have made a comment at the Yule Ball that you dance like a giant Acromantula that's been hit with a Jelly-Legs and an Impedimenta jinx…at the same time...but I didn't mean for it to spread all over the school or anything like that. I was just chatting with my date and Pansy Parkinson overheard me. She's awful - I hate her. I said something mean about her as well; that she looked like a hybrid of a flubberworm and a bulldog." Harry's brow furrowed and I scrambled again. "Which was a horrible thing of me to do - but pretty funny… not that I think bullying is funny or that I do it. I've picked up that you Gryffindors aren't really into that. But the Slytherins are- we always tell each other where we can stick our wands…it's kind of like a jock thing. Not that you'd know; oh but you would because you were raised by muggles. Like me - I'm a muggleborn."

I felt that I had dragged on to a tangent (or twenty) so I quickly returned to the subject matter. "So that's why I don't believe what everyone's saying at the moment. It's just like in second year when everyone thought you were the Heir of Slytherin which I didn't understand because you're a Gryffindor and heroic and did that thing in first year, that everyone heard about…although I didn't really have any friends so I didn't know about the details. That is, my friends explained it to me in third year after you'd fainted when you saw that dementor on the train." I couldn't suppress the small laugh that escaped my lips. I slapped a hand over my mouth and shook my head, speaking quickly once more.

"That's not funny. Not _really _funny at all ever. It's understandable. They're actually quite frightening. But, they don't really scare me because I think they just look like Ring Wraiths from Lord of the Rings, which makes me laugh. So yeah, it's not funny. The only reason I said that it _was _funny, was because Draco Malfoy was in the common room and he did an impression of you - because _that_ as funny, and it was him- _not you_- that was stupid looking. I mean, he looked stupid when he was pretending to be you." I babbled, before realising that was offensive and continued in the hope that he wouldn't notice. But Harry seemed to be taking in every word I said with unblinking eyes and a slightly open mouth.

"He doesn't usually look stupid." I said. "Malfoy. Not that I care how he looks. Not that I even look at him. Ever. At all. I mean, I'm not part of his group or anything; I just overheard what he was saying when I was sitting in the corner making no noise and pretending I didn't exist." At that Harry's eyes widened slightly and I briefly wondered why before hurrying on. "But I _did_ laugh when I told Luna about it the next day - Luna Lovegood? Ravenclaw? She could explain to you why I'm so awkward at this and I think she understands me better than I do, but I think she catches onto a lot of things clearer than most. Zach might be able to explain, do you know him? He's the Hufflepuff Chaser- you've played against him. No? Maybe Dennis. Dennis Creevy? He's in Gryffindor, like you. You know his little brother, Colin because he was one of the people that you petrified, not that it _was_ you, but everyone said it was - even some of the teachers… like Snape… to all of the Slytherins… he has private talks to us sometimes… but not about you of course, never. Not even sometimes. Not even at all."

I realised that I was standing incredibly still so I tried to make myself look more casual by leaning on one foot slightly. "So to sum up, I was more wrong than I would have liked to have been when I talked to you before, and I came up here to say that - and to tell you that I feel bad about that. And I tend to be shockingly abysmal at apologising. I usually just keep talking until someone tells me to stop…"

_"Stop." _Harry said, stepping forward and placing a hand on my shoulder. I released the breath I was holding, and let myself relax, feeling myself blush in mortification. _What is wrong with me? _ I glanced at Harry's hand which he quickly removed from my shoulder when he caught on to my discomfort.

For a few seconds there was quiet, in which Harry simply looked at me. Then he carefully spoke, saying each word clearly as if I was an invalid. "Well, I don't think I've ever heard one person say so many words in five minutes." I chewed on my lip and rocked onto my heels. "But just so we're both on even terms; apology accepted, and I'm sorry to you for…" the sentence hung in the air before he found the appropriate words. "…what happened."

I sighed and nodded, attempting a shaky smile. "Yes…that's in order. I forgive you, too. And, err…I think I dragged on for a bit with my apology, so maybe I should leave you in peace – in fact, I will go now. Sorry." I nodded in finality and turned to walk away.

Just as I was about to slink away into the escape of the hall Harry spoke up from behind me. "What did you say you're name was again?"

I looked back. "Veil. Ryuu Veil. Ryuu Advena Veil. And you're Harry. Harry James Potter. A.K.A, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, Triwizard Champion, Gryffindor Seeker, Heir of Slytherin, Scar-head… Potty… speccy git. But that's just what you're called in Slytherin. Not by me. I don't say that. Just Malfoy. Not that I listen to him - _never._ He just says things. Loudly. In public. _It's not funny." _I quickly walked from the room, nudging past Ron as he came into the doorway. He glanced at my pink face as I leaned against the wall beside the doorway and groaned.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" I heard Ron ask as he walked inside.

Harry took a moment to respond, and when he did his voice sounded exhausted. "Everything that has ever happened. _Ever."_

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As I walked towards the study, I tried to get the image of His eyes out of my head. It was immensely difficult. They were like a crocodile in the lake of my mind, just peering over the surface of the water and lashing out violently whenever I tried to think of anything else. For the first few minutes after I'd run from the room I'd sat on the stair case, silent and shaken at what had just occurred. I had just had my first experience with the Dark Lord. Through Harry's mind and eyes he had spoken to me in Parsletongue, hypnotising me in his gaze. _He saw me,_ I'd kept thinking in panic. _He looked into my eyes and spoke to me. _

When Lupin had explained Harry's condition to me I had listened in horror. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to know that you're not safe in your own head. It would have driven me insane, I knew for certain. I was surprised Harry hadn't killed me for provoking him.

From the moment I had seen those eyes of blood I had known. How could I have been so ignorant before? You Know Who would never stop. He would hunt down every last person on earth until he got what he wanted. There was no escape from His power. The war that was coming would incorporate everyone, and although it pained me to think it, I knew I couldn't outrun that kind of force. And if I couldn't flee from it, I wasn't going to stay still and let it kill me either.

Lupin's head flicked up as I entered without knocking. His reading spectacles were slightly askew and a porcelain cup of tea was half-raised to his lips. "Ryuu?"

I stared into his earthy brown eyes. "I'm in."

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I opened my apartment door to have the aroma of freshly made pasta fill my nostrils. _Dad._ "How long have you been back?" I called down the hall, hanging my coat on the peg beside the door.

My father emerged from the kitchen with a bowl in each hand. "Only a couple of hours." Even though he was at home, he still looked like he was at work. His reading glasses were hanging over the pocket of his shirt and his ever present camera swung from his neck. His light blonde hair was windblown, but still didn't hide the ringlets I had inherited.

"How'd the cliff jumping go?" I inquired.

"Amazing. I got some great shots of them. Because they're professionals, they can do flips before they hit the water, and the colour contrasts of the rock and the sky were just perfect…" I smirked as my father rambled on. He could talk for hours about photography. Walking over to the dinner table, I noticed a pile of letters on the lounge and frowned. _That's strange. There's never post on Sundays._

"What're these?"

My father's sky blue eyes rested upon the mail. "Oh, they're late ones. I only remembered where I'd left my key this morning. Sorry if you were expecting something." He placed a bowl on the table before me. "Hey, here's something I learned today. Do you know how to tell the time by just using the sun? Well…" My father prattled away and I actually listened to his exaggerated facts and quirky descriptions. My father had never graduated school, but was smart in a way that he was full of useless information. My mother sometimes referred to him as the whirlwind of vacuous crap, but I found some of his musings rather interesting. If it weren't for him I'd never have learned that the hard tip at the end of a shoelace was called an aglet. Or that a baby echidna was called a puggle.

I rifled through the letters. _Bills, Investments, Junk mail…To Ms. Ryuu Advena Veil. _The letter was addressed in green ink, and the Hogwarts crest appeared in the top right hand corner. Hastily, I flipped it over and clumsily tore it open. I only just managed to catch the weighty silver object that fell out. It was polished and shaped like a shield with a large emerald green 'P' engraved into the centre.

A Prefect's Badge.

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	2. Chapter 2 - Plans

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Sorry about any spelling or grammatical errors in my previous chapter; it's strange no matter how many times you read over things, you always manage to miss some really obvious mistakes. If only I knew someone with the mind of an analytical genius, I'd hire them to do my dirty work. Anyway, I thought some of you may have been thinking after reading the last chapter: 'Where's Draco? I only started reading this because I thought he'd be in it!' Well, here you go – an entire chapter… although it is rather short…

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 2 – Plans

Draco

I snatched my broomstick from the feeble grips of the four house elves. "None of you are to touch this." I demanded, as they bowed their heads and backed away to help the others with packing my trunk. _What loathsome servants._ I retrieved the black leather case from my wardrobe and flicked the golden locks upward. Carefully, I placed my Nimbus Two Thousand and One in its designated spot, smoothing out the tail end before shutting the case once more.

"Master…" said a weak voice from the doorway. It was smaller than the other servants, and it's wide staring eyes had a yellow tinge to them. I recognised the elf, yet it's name had slipped from my memory. _Like that's important, anyway._

"What?" as soon as I spoke directly to it, the elf's gaze dropped downwards and I could see that it was afraid of me. The creature shuffled it's abnormally large feet and tugged at its bat-like ear.

"Master Draco…your f-father Lord Lucius wishes to s-s-see you…"

I lowered my broomstick case to the ground, and straightened out my sleeves. "Take me to him."

"Y-yes, Master!"

I allowed the elf to stumble along ahead of me as it guided me through the familiar halls of my home. The servant was clambering along at a disjointedly fast pace, and I assumed it was probably running. Either from fear, or simple hastiness, I couldn't be sure. _Probably fear. _The corridor was lined with portraits of my ancestors, who chatted amicably to each other as I passed. I never talked to the paintings. They always wanted to ramble on about times long ago that only they cared about. 

The golden light from my father's study seeped out from beneath the elf reached up to the doorknob, hands shaking uncontrollably. Because of its height however, it had to stand on the tips of its stunted toes. Its fingers were outstretched, desperately trying to grasp the silver handle. I rolled my eyes."Leave here. Go back to work." I said casually. The elf immediately ceased its struggle and sped back down the hallway, stumbling over the carpet as it ran.

I politely knocked only to hear my father's voice bellow through the wood of the door. "I told you just to come in, you fool!"

For a moment I hesitated, then cautiously entered to see him seated at his wide oak desk. "Oh, Draco." He said, face changing in recognition of my presence. "I thought you were that daft elf. Sit."

I obeyed, seating myself in a black leather chair with a hard back. "Yes, Father?"

Candles flickered lazily on their wicks, casting shifting shadows around the dimly lit room. A white peacock feather quill scrawled across a piece of parchment in front of my father. When it was finished writing the letter folded itself up and a grey wax seal fixed itself onto the envelope. My father sat in a plush black chair with his feet resting on a stool of similar make. His fingers caressed the silver tip of his cane as he began speaking in a cold calculating tone. "You will soon be continuing your training in Occulemency and Non-Verbal spell casting."

A frown tainted my lips. I'd practically mastered non-verbal spells when I was thirteen. The best teachers had been hired to personally tutor me outside of school. So why continue those old lessons now? Occulemency was a more useful skill, so that was understandable. I already had an extensive knowledge of the theory, but had only actually used Occulemency a few times. It was a highly unpleasant feeling, having your mind attacked, but I'd gotten used to it quick enough. However, that still didn't make the classes any more fun. "Will Professor Snape be instructing me at school?"

He pursed his lips. "No…this time you will have a different teacher."

For a few seconds I wondered what he was talking about. Severus Snape was the best Occulemens my father knew, except of course…the thought hit me and I felt my eyes widen. _Aunty Bellatrix._ Father's stare bored into me, and I sensed that he knew what I was thinking.

"When?" I said simply.

"January, hopefully."

_Five months. _I nodded, and he tapped the desk with his knuckles. He seemed edgy, as if he wanted me to talk before he said anything else. His uneasiness was well concealed, however, and I don't think I would've noticed it if I hadn't been paying close attention."So…" I began, "there's a plan?"

My father produced a small smile. "Oh yes, there are many plans…" Something about the way he said it unnerved me. I straightened in my chair before he spoke again. "…there is one for you, Draco."

I met his stare. His eyes seemed different; they held a particular element to them that I had rarely seen. _Pride. He's proud of me._ I guessed what he was about to say before he said it, but somehow, I was still shocked to actually hear it spoken out loud. "It seems that you have been deemed worthy, to be chosen before you come of age…" he said slowly, never taking his gaze off me. "This will be your last year at Hogwarts, Draco."

My father and I smirked in unison.

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My trunk was packed and resting in the corner of my room. Atop it, was my uniform for tomorrow, with my Prefect's Badge resting at the apex of my neatly folded robes.

Knowing that this year would be my last year of school couldn't withhold the smile from stretching across my face. My mother had always told me that this moment would come, but I had never expected it to be so soon. _Father said that I was to be the youngest Death Eater in history. _I had heard great tales from my family about their Death Eater days. They had always said that those times had been the pinpoint of their glory, their greatness. Out of curiosity I slid the sleeve of my right arm up and stared at the bare skin, imagining a Dark Mark painted there. I'd scarcely seen the Mark on flesh. My father always wore long sleeves, just in case someone was watching. Mother had confided in me once about the process of being Marked. It was painful yes, but that was an integral part of the ritual. To be able to withstand pain proved the Death Eater worthy.

_Worthy._

The Dark Lord had seen me worthy. It made sense; the Malfoy family had always been loyal to the Dark Lord and was respected throughout the wizarding community. Yet it was still difficult to believe that the most powerful wizard of all time had assigned a job for me personally. _Recruiting Death Eaters from Slytherin house…_ the task would be simple enough, especially now I had been assigned Prefect. Pansy would be able to assist me with that – I had no doubt that she would be the female Prefect, with Dumbledore as foolish as he was.

The old oaf was clearly losing his wits. Was he a complete idiot, telling Fudge that He was back? Now the Minister was against him, all because he was too stupid to keep him mouth shut. Powerful as Dumbledore was, he couldn't take on the Ministry. But, if things went my way it wasn't them he needed to worry about.

I sat down on my bed, staring at my wand. I'd come up with the idea when I'd left my father's study. I'd considered confiding in him, but then thought it best to keep the plan to myself. It would only work if it was a complete surprise. The only thing keeping the Dark Lord away from that retched school and Potter was Dumbledore. Surely it would be a _courtesy_ to remove that threat? If the Dark Lord had plans for me, then I would act on those above and beyond. If war was coming, then I wanted to keep my family as safe as possible, and to do that we had to be in the Lord's favour.

_All I have to do is kill Dumbledore._

Inexplicably, my hand trembled.

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A/N: I've integrated some of Draco's sixth year story arch into this story, because – as you might catch on – many major and side plots are fast-tracked. And for those who feel cheated by the lack of Draco, I can assure you that the next chapter is full of him. – J. Noseworthy.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Prefect's Compartment

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: So, here they both are in the same scene. I hope you enjoy their interaction. I've altered the layout of the Hogwarts Express to accommodate this scene. In canon, it is mentioned in the first book by Percy that there are two compartments for the Prefects at the front of the train; and this setting is how I interpreted that.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 3 – The Prefect's Compartment

Ryuu

My vision was blurred due to the excessive amounts of steam and people, and I was extremely thankful for the large, spacious platform. Train stations evoked bad feelings within me. Maybe it was the noise, or the push and tug of people bustling by; however I thought I knew a more likely reason. Sliding my way through the crowd I heaved my trunk along beside me. The luggage assistor smiled as I passed him my trunk. He indicated towards my bag, but I politely shook my head. Dusk would be fine with me. "Thank you," I said off-handedly, as my gaze searched the amorphous of people around me for any sign of Ron and Hermione. The plan had been to 'accidentally' meet here and move onto the train as two groups; me on my own and Ron and Hermione as a couple. _Where are they?_

A flash of red hair appeared beside me and Ron accidentally-on-purpose stumbled into my shoulder in an unnecessary attempt for me to notice him further. Hermione was beside him, her arms free of baggage and coughing at the steam pumping out from the train. Ron threw me an overdramatic wink. "Subtle." I murmured.

"What?" he said, blue gaze narrowed in confusion.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, let's go," I murmured through the corner of my mouth so as to appear that I wasn't talking to them.

"What-? I can't hear you!"

I flicked my head towards the train in a gesture of movement. Ron seemed to understand this and we sliced through the crowd. I made sure to keep a few feet of distance between us as I followed them towards the front of the Hogwarts Express.

As I entered the train and was instantly reminded of just how narrow the walkways on board were. Repressing a shudder, I focused my attention solely on the windows and hastily sidled my way down the thin corridor. Thankfully, seeing as most people were already in their seats, I rarely had to slip past anyone in the narrow space making it easier to manoeuvre. Eventually, we arrived at the Prefect's Cabins.

In the first, were Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil. They sat on the same seat of the cabin, talking amicably. Seeing as they had their own individual compartment, I made the assumption that the cabins must be divided amongst the Prefects by house and year. My suspicions were confirmed when I walked past the next cabin and saw two sixth year Ravenclaws whose names I'd never learned. Although I did remember seeing the brunette girl crying in the girl's bathroom last year because of a grade she'd gotten on her Charms essay. The boy looked familiar and after a moment I remembered that he'd helped me pick up my textbooks in third year when Peeves had surprised me on the second floor.

Each cabin held familiar faces, even if I had to think hard about where I'd seen them before. About halfway down the corridor Hermione and Ron entered an empty cabin, each of them throwing me a glance as I passed by them. Dusk nudged my arm with his head as he peered out from the top of the bag. The cabins for Slytherin Prefects were at the very front of the train. I took a deep breath, glancing into each compartment as I passed by the window, until I came to the very last cabin._ Who's it going to be? _

I paused as I looked through the glass panelled door. As with the cabins in the rest of the train there were two seats on either side, however the Prefects seemed to travel with a tad more luxury, because the seats were less worn and appeared lifted and plush. There was also a fold out table below the window, but it was compacted inside the wall. However, my eyes studied the cabin only briefly, before locking onto the occupant. A flicker of dread squirmed at the back of my mind, but I swept it aside, mentally scolding myself for being so naïve. _It was always going to be him. _It seemed stupid that I'd even had to think about who the male Prefect was going to on the left side staring out the window was incredibly good and bad luck, wearing a tailored black suit and a smug expression.

Who else could it have been but Draco Malfoy?

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Draco

As soon as the petite blonde entered I unconsciously straightened my jacket. She sat down opposite me and placed her bag beside her. With one swift motion, she opened the zipper however didn't retrieve anything. Blondie must have sensed my stare because she glanced up in that half-shy, half-curious way girls do. _Who is this? _I'd been expecting Pansy, but clearly Blondie must be the female Prefect, or else why would she be here? Blondie looked out the window, fingers softly tapping at the windowsill. Her clothing was simple; a grey buttoned jacket with black denim jeans; but from the quality and tidiness, and the long gold chain around her neck, they suggested that she came from money. The way she held herself was also a clear indicator of a wealthy background. Her eyes were a deep green colour. I had never seen a shade quite like it, particularly not with eyes. Usually green eyes were a kind of meld between hazel and grey, more misty than vivid. But hers were different, close to emerald but deeper - or maybe that was just her eyes. She was pale, and had light blonde hair that fell in ringlets just past her shoulders. Sensing my interest in her, her gaze flickered to meet mine. She appeared mildly amused at my goggling, before she resumed looking outside once more.

I allowed myself a slight grin. _Being a Prefect is going to be very interesting… except… _I nearly grimaced. _What's her name? _I tried to remember a time when I had seen her before but her face had no place in my memory. After I had gone through every girl in Slytherin, I couldn't for the life of me come to a conclusion. _Sally-Anne Perks? No._ _Daphne Greengrass? No, no. She has dark hair…Reeah Noseworthy? No. She's that girl who breathes impossibly loud._ I mentally cursed myself. I knew every single person in Slytherin and yet I couldn't even think of _one_ name!

My thoughts were disrupted as a pair of ears and then the head of a kitten protruded from the opening of the girl's bag. The kitten's amber eyes searched the area until they found Blondie. It made a soft _meowing_ sound to capture her attention. It worked. The girl turned to her pet and lifted him from the gap within the open zipper. She carefully placed it on the seat next to her. Its fur was black, with smudges of orange and brown scattered throughout it in untidy clumps. Its tail was bushy and aimlessly flicked from side to side. I noticed rather ruefully, that its stare was following every move I made. The young cat didn't appear familiar at all, and I didn't admire the way it glared at me and took an instant disliking to the creature.

I looked away from its large treacle coloured eyes and unsuccessfully continued to search for a name. After a few minutes, the train began to move and I gave up. I was going to have to resort to a different technique.

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Ryuu

"How were your holidays?" Malfoy said. His voice sounded different when it was conversational, and not sarcastic or cruel. It was smooth and his modal seemed almost too formal for a fifteen year old boy. Out of pure habit, I assumed that he was talking to someone else, until I realised that I was the only other person within earshot.

The lie came easily, and I found myself speaking more eloquently than expected. "Quite dull."

"How so?" The response was almost instantaneous.

_Keep lying. _"I didn't do anything of interest. Just homework."

_What are his motives? _I wondered, face blank. Draco Malfoy hadn't spoken to me for nigh on five years, and when he had it was a harsh insult. It was strange to see him talking so casually, and I wondered if this was how he spoke to his gang. To be honest, I'd kind of expected a completely different reaction from him when I'd walked into the cabin. Somewhere along the lines of a scowl or a revolting comment and a demand that a filthy little mudblood like me get out of his sight. As it happened, it had occurred quite the opposite. He'd stared at me. And not in the way someone looks down at an insect. Fascination had twitched at his jaw and his eyes had been clouded like he was trying to decipher a puzzle.

Somehow, this disconcerted me even more and I felt the need to question him. "How were yours?" I asked, keeping my face innocent.

"Uneventful." He had said it too quickly. _He's definitely hiding something there, but it would be too dangerous to ask anything about it now. Best to lighten the mood._

"How so?" I asked quickly, making my tone a bit lower to mimic his own. His pale grey eyes slid to my own. I held my expression of mockery. The corners of his mouth tilted upwards ever so slightly, so that I couldn't be sure if he was amused or hiding irritation.

"I stayed in mostly; because of the weather." He turned his head to stare at the blurred fields outside the window. "Did you get much rain?"

_Dammit. He's spinning the topic back to me again. _"No." This wasn't exactly a lie. It had been quite warm in London for the past few weeks.A silence followed. I idly began to stroke Dusk's soft coat. The kitten mewed as I did, and cast a narrowed stare towards Malfoy.

"You know what's strange?" he began, "When I received my Prefect letter, it said: _To Draco Lucius Malfoy. _I wasn't aware that Dumbledore knew my middle name."

I narrowed my eyes. _That's a strange comment._ _And so out of the blue. _I questioned the phrase in my mind, trying to unravel his intentions when I caught his stare. He'd leaned forward slightly and was watching me closely. He did it in such a way that it might have seemed nonchalant if my guard was down. _Did he think me stupid? _He was so obviously indirectly asking something of me and now I knew what it was. _His name, he'd mentioned his full name. _And now, with the conventional use of an alike response, he would learn mine. Which either meant that he had awkward social skills or _that he was inadvertently trying to learn my name. _

It was a bit insulting, that Malfoy had misplaced me so completely that even my name was forgotten. My despise for him only grew at that, but I didn't let it show. Instead I frowned to hide the smirk that was daring to stretch across my lips. "That is strange. He didn't use my middle name…," I shrugged focusing on putting a lot of emphasis on the next few words, "But, I suppose, a lot of people forget my name."

It was greatly satisfying to hear a singular nervous laugh escape his tight jaw.

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Draco

_Curse her! _She was quicker than I'd presumed. Most people, especially girls, were quite easy to manipulate. But this girl had barely flinched as she'd struck right back and made me look the fool. Well, she was certainly deserving of the title Slytherin Prefect. However, I wasn't going to let this pass.

I took a moment to study the blonde girl again as she smiled at me innocently. She looked simple enough, but she had easily managed to outsmart me. It seemed impossible that I would forget someone like her if I had ever met her. _Is it possible that I haven't met this girl before? _I thought I'd known the name and face of every Slytherin, but maybe somehow I'd misplaced her.

No matter. She'd bested me once, but it was still a long train ride to Hogwarts.

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Ryuu

Malfoy had remained silent for some time now, and I could barely stop myself from bursting into laughter. From what I'd learned about Draco Malfoy, he was just as prejudiced and mean as the rest of Slytherin. In actual fact, it was as if the attitudes of the Malfoy family and Draco himself had moulded Slytherin into what it was today. Many a time I'd been treated to Draco's detailed explanations of why muggleborns – or mudbloods as he liked to call them – had no place in wizarding society. He also took the time of day to pose certain death threats on muggleborns around the school, Hermione in particular.

Well, maybe a part of me was somewhat proud that the Prince of Slytherin had just been owned by a _mudblood. _

"It will be good to have a break from my parents." Draco picked up the conversation once more, adjusting his posture to regain his equanimity.

_Do you not like your parents Draco? _I wondered. _Or are you just trying a different method? _The second thought seemed more likely. Malfoy family was an old family, but renowned for their strength and constancy. _So, what technique are you trying now? _His implication was that there was an issue with his parents. His tone wasn't in a context of complain, which meant that as expected he didn't want me to reply with a question of his family but rather make a similar remark about my own. _Quid Pro Quo. The mostly equal exchange of something. _

It would be suspicious of me to avoid the response, but I wasn't going to tell him a thing about my parents. If Malfoy didn't know who I was, then he didn't need to know I was a muggleborn. "I know what you mean. My father is always saying: Ryuu do this, Ryuu do that..." My statement was completely dishonest of course, but that had not been my purpose. After a brief consideration, I'd decided that I should tell Draco my name. Likely as not, he was going to find out sooner or later and it wouldn't have been wise to use an alias.

"Well, at least we can boss around juniors this year." Malfoy added casually, diverging from the Quid Pro Quo.

"That," I said "is the true meaning of being a Slytherin Prefect." I'd repressed my annoyance by covering it with sarcasm, and apparently that had come out well, because Malfoy actually managed a small laugh. A genuine laugh.

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Draco

_Ryuu. _It was an interesting title. It triggered something in my memory, and I promised myself that I'd look into it later.

She had complied with my conversational tactic thus far and things were going well. I now knew that her cat was called Dusk and that she had gotten him on her birthday. However, I realised that I had been foolish in not asking _when_ her birthday was. I assumed that it wasn't too long ago, seeing as her present was still a young kitten…but it was too late to ask now.

"Have you been reading _The_ _Daily Prophet?" _she asked, adjusting the sleeves of her jacket and regarding me with a curious stare. "Always thought Potter was a fake. And it was about time Dumbledore got put back in his place. I can't believe he keeps babbling on about The Dark Lord's return, can you?"

_The Daily Prophet _was all anyone had been talking about recently. Like every time someone mentioned it, I'd prepared my answer. "It's ridiculous."

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Ryuu

I'd thought it would've been a good idea to mention You Know Who to both lower suspicion against me and study Malfoy's reaction. The way he'd responded was golden. A stiffening in his facial features, then a steady eye contact and a flat, almost robotic reply of: "It's ridiculous." A clear deflection with a ring of finality in his tone. He was certainly withholding something in that area, and I had a good presumption what. Lupin had told me that Draco's father used to be a Death Eater. Harry had also told me that when You-Know-Who had returned last year, Lucius Malfoy was present. We had all agreed that if The Dark Lord was doing something, Lucius would likely know about it.

And so, that had led us to Draco. The top of Slytherin house, a Slytherin Prefect, the seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Draco practically reeked of Slytherin pride. And, to my dismay, Lupin had said numerous times that Slytherin was likely to produce an army of young Death Eaters. My task was to leak information about mysterious happenings in my house, with particular focus on students who had high influence within the Slytherin society. And that meant that I had to spend a lot of time analysing Draco.

Dusk was fidgeting next to me, and he hopped onto my lap. He seemed to be trying to tell me something, so I met his stare. His eyes were moving to Draco constantly, and I smiled. _You really are a clever kitten aren't you? I think you know what I'm doing…_

Draco was staring at Dusk with a look of annoyance twisting his mouth. _He doesn't like cats._ "Would you like to hold him?" I asked Draco sweetly, indicating towards Dusk.

Draco's eyebrows lowered and he cleared his throat. "Sure."

I knew I was being petty, but when else would I get an opportunity like this? I lifted Dusk from my lap and placed him into Malfoy's outstretched grasp. He held the cat like it would explode at any given moment. They both stared intently at each other, as if whoever blinked first would lose. I suppressed a giggle.

"Hello?" I don't think Malfoy had wanted his words to be a question, but that's how they'd sounded.

Dusk gave him a look that seemed to say: "_Seriously?" _before hissing at him and wriggling from his grip. Malfoy's mouth twitched in a half concealed snarl towards the animal. The feline slinked over to my side of the cabin and sat beside my foot, purring with a deep intensity as he eyed Malfoy.

"Guess he doesn't like you." I said with a small laugh.

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Draco

The train continued onwards. I could see we were getting closer, because the obscured view of lush green fields had vanished to be replaced with the dull haze of rivers and moors. Ryuu's disgusting creature had retired to its original location of her bag and fallen asleep. Meaningful conversation had long ago died; I think both of us had tired of studying each other. To my annoyance, she'd only mentioned fleeting conventional things about herself, and I sensed that she did this purely because she knew it's annoy me. Yet somehow, Ryuu had done this in a way where she was still polite and amicable. _She'd beaten me. No, she simply outwitted me. For now, anyway. _

Hogsmeade loitered past the window, and the train began to slow down. A minute or so later, it came to a complete halt. We both stood and I straightened my jacket out of habit. Ryuu half closed the opening of her bag so that the wretched creature could continue to breathe.

"Would you like me to…?" I indicated towards her luggage.

Her eyes narrowed momentarily, suddenly defensive. "No, thank you."

Odd. Usually girls loved things like that. Something in the way she'd looked at me as she'd declined my offer had seemed strangely startled. _Probably just pissed that you thought she couldn't handle one bag. Good one, Draco. _

We exited the train and emerged onto the platform. Most people were already sitting inside the enchanted carriages and moving towards the school. I tilted my head upwards to see the enormous castle looming above me.

_Back at school. Wonderful. _I thought gloomily.

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	4. Chapter 4 - Ron's Golden Key

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Again, this chapter is a bit of a short one. Plus there's no Draco… why did I even write it? ;) I know in the books there aren't any Prefect's Common Rooms, but I wanted to have some, so I designed the Prefect's tower.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 4 – Ron's Golden Key

Ryuu

_Hogwarts. It's good to be back._ There was always that small thrill whenever I saw the castle towering above me. I mean, I loved being with my parents over the holidays- when they were there, at least- but home was so _mundane. _Besides, it was still amazing to go to school in a _castle._ I'd seen old buildings before, there was even some preserved areas in London, but I'd never seen anything as architecturally tremendous as Hogwarts castle. Towers and spires peaking into the sky, stone walls that had witnessed a thousand years or more, the lake beneath it glistening from the golden glow pouring out of the windows… my father would've killed for some photographs of this place.

Draco and I began walking towards the line of awaiting carriages, when I heard a voice call our names."Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Veil."

I turned to see Professor McGonagall standing in front of a small group of students. Among them were Ron and Hermione. Both kept their faces blank, and their eyes skimmed over me to rest on Draco and narrow. _Good, _I thought.

Once we'd joined them, Professor McGonagall's stern glare focused on me for a moment. Lupin had informed me that nearly all of the staff at Hogwarts were members of the Order. They all knew about my mission, and according to Dumbledore, were ordered to assist me as much as possible. I'd been surprised when I'd heard that. The Professors at Hogwarts had never really given me much attention, and this year they were actually looking out for me. _This must be what it feels like to be Harry. _

"So gracious for the both of you to _finally_ join us. I hope that your lagging attitude will fade away as the year goes on." Professor McGonagall said in a low tone. "Now, everyone. We shall make our way towards the Prefect's Dormitories."

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We moved fairly quickly through the familiar halls of Hogwarts. Sir Cadogan charged behind us the entire time, shouting praises such as: "Congratulations on becoming Prefects! But are you exemplary enough to fulfil your assigned duties? For it takes a determined heart to embark on such an important responsibility!" Most of the other portraits yelled at Sir Cadogan to silence himself but all were ineffective.

As always, the castle was well illuminated in all areas, even if candles weren't present. However, most people stumbled in alarm when Peeves somehow destroyed the light source as we made our way towards the centre of the school.

When we reached a dead-end Professor McGonagall swivelled dramatically to face us. "This is the entrance to your new dormitories." I stood on my tip toes so that I could get a better view of the wall. It was completely bare. No portraits hung on it, and it was clouded in shadow from the lack of flaming torches upon its surface.

"But…" said Ron, "there's nothing there."

"Really, . Have you not determined by now that most things at Hogwarts aren't what they seem?" she raised an eyebrow and slipped her palm from her long, billowing sleeve. "Your badge, please."

Ron crinkled his nose and placed a golden Prefect's Badge in her hand. Professor McGonagall swiftly clasped it and turned to face the 'entrance.' As we all watched in interest, she carefully placed the maroon 'P' of the badge against the wall and waited. After a few seconds, golden light streamed from her hand and outwards in all directions. The light flowed like long grass in the wind and joined to create a large arch shape over the wall.

"It's a key." I heard Hermione murmur behind me, to no one in particular.

The lights faded, and a large wooden door slowly appeared from within the wall, to which McGonagall continued to hold the badge in the centre. When the door appeared solid, she slowly turned the golden key in a quarter circle and stopped when a satisfying _click_ sounded. The door swung open to reveal a spiralling stairwell reaching upwards.

_A concealed door. _I smirked._ That seems to be a trend of late._

"You are correct, Ms. Granger." McGonagall said automatically. "Each of your Prefect's badges can open this door, if you simply repeat the sequence. So please note this: If anyone else obtains your badge, you have given away the key to your private dormitories. Now, follow me."

The doorway was so large that Malfoy, Ernie Macmillan and I could fit through easily standing side by side. The stairs seemed to only go up for a single flight, but it was hard to determine due to the fact it was a spiral staircase. When we walked into the first room, however, I marvelled at its magnificence.

It looked nothing like the Slytherin Common Room. It had a high ceiling which met at a point in the centre. On each of the four walls was an enormous window that stretched upwards for most of the space. As I looked through the windows, I saw that four thin towers sprouted out from each side of the main building, and I presumed that the dormitories were divided by house. I could see the stars glistening through the glass. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the night sky looked in Hogwarts, compared to the one in London.

A stone fireplace resided against the far wall. I imagined I could easily stand up straight in there. In front of it, was a big round rug. Imprinted on the surface, was the Hogwarts crest in full detail. Naturally, my eyes went to the serpent of Slytherin house first, before continuing to examine the other animals. Four oversized black satin couches were stationed around the rug curving around the edges of the four sections of the crest. A glass table sat in the centre of the rug, which I hardly noticed due to its transparency. In a line behind each couch was a door. Each one was a different colour, corresponding to each house.

"This is the Prefect's Common Room. Obviously, now that you have all that you need here, it is unnecessary for you to sleep in your previous common rooms. However, if you wish you can still visit your regular common rooms if you know the passwords."

I returned my attention to Professor McGonagall. "All of your luggage is inside your rooms. Fifth year Prefects are on the highest floor, sixth year on the second floor and seventh year on the first. I assume you can figure out which house is in which tower." She smiled and walked back towards the stairwell. The sixth and seventh year Prefects began to meander around, moving up to their dormitories and chatting. The eight fifth years stayed still, staring around at the majesty of the Prefect's Common Room in awe. For a moment, nobody moved as we listened to the sound of Professor McGonagall leaving. Then, when quiet erupted, I heard Ron's soft voice behind me.

"Bloody Hell…"

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"Well Dusk, what do you think?" I asked him.

He pranced along the marble floor of my room and explored it. Jumping up onto the antique desk next to the bathroom door, he sniffed the spines of my books. The cat sprang onto the ledge of the first window and quickly continued onwards to my four poster bed. He stretched his tiny paws on my emerald silken quilt before jumping to the next window sill and staring out at the Forbidden Forest in the distance. For a moment Dusk was still, before lightly leaping onto my set of drawers and slipping on its smooth surface. He fell on the ground, landing on his feet of course, and then curled up in front of the fireplace. Its flames were the colour of spring leaves, which had annoyed me at first, but now I kind of like the green glow that filled my room. Not only was the dormitory far more luxurious than what I'd had in previous years, there was no Pansy Parkinson or Millicent Bullstrode to live with this time. I much preferred being alone.

I knelt down beside Dusk. It had been a long night, but as expected, the feast had been a delicious relief from the train ride. There was always an annual curiosity about the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but after I'd listened to three seconds of her patronising high pitched voice I'd taken an instant disliking to her.

My kitten nudged at my palm, and I stroked Dusk's ears affectionately as he purred. "Yeah, I like it too," I whispered.

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	5. Chapter 5 - Instincts and Inkwells

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: For people wondering why the hell one of my main characters is named a really random word – the truth will soon be revealed. A cookie to anyone who realised before this chapter. Also, Emma Farley is an OC.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 5 – Instincts And Inkwells

Draco

The next few days sped by without so much as a glance.

Classes were as usual. Except for Defence Against The Dark Arts, which changed every year. Our new teacher's name was Professor Umbridge. I remembered my father telling me about the Umbridge family, so I knew she worked for the Ministry, which meant I'd have to be cautious around her. At the moment there was no telling who's side she was on. She was constantly in the habit of wearing numerous shades of pink and frills, which physically damaged my eyes to look at. She also refused to teach us any practical magic, causing class to be even duller. However, Umbridge had taken a profound dislike to Potter, and to me that made up for everything.

It was only now that I had started noticing Ryuu sitting in the back corner of most of my classes. She was always attentive and quiet when working, so I figured that that was why I had never noticed her before.

Her name kept floating at the edge of my mind. _I swear I've heard it before. But where? When? _After dwelling on this as I walked back to the Common Room, it suddenly hit me. _Of course. _I remembered when I had to visit my father in Japan, to assist with the Malfoy trading companies over there. It had been frustratingly cold, and I hadn't enjoyed the trip at all. I had travelled to many countries around the world, but the Japanese language had remained quite distinct in my head. '_Ryuu' does sound like a Japanese word…_

I quickly ducked into the library and walked immediately to the foreign section. Most people gave me strange stares as I walked through the impossibly high bookshelves. It was peculiar for me to be in the library. I had never enjoyed reading.

My eyes scrolled over the spines of the old dusty books and stopped when I saw a title that said: _Healing Remedies – Effective Techniques Direct From Japan._

There were another four novels leaning against it, all with similar titles. _Japan: Homeland of the Dragons…Japanese Charms, Cauldron Work and Cooking…Japanese Words And Enchantments (English Translation). _I slid the last book from the shelf and rifled through the pages.

_Ai shiteru: (I-shee-teh-roo) I love you._

_Ai: (I) Love._

_Aka: (Ah-kah) Red. _

_Aku: (ah-koo) Evil._

_They must be in alphabetical order…_I thought as I flicked to the "R" section.

_Riku: (Ree-koo) Land, shore._

_Roku: (Roh-koo) Six. (6)_

_Ryuu: (Ree-yuu) Dragon._

_Dragon. _So that's what it meant. _How ironic…_I returned the book to the shelf and walked back into the main area. Huddled around a table were three Ravenclaws silently working on their Potions homework. My face twisted into a grimace as I remembered that I was meant to be doing the same. I looked longingly towards the door, but I knew that the work had to be done. It was due tomorrow, and all classes for the day were finished.

I reluctantly sat at the table opposite the Ravenclaws and pulled out my equipment. As I began to write, I naturally went to any means to procrastinate. I attempted to recount the events of the day, but nothing particularly memorable had occurred. I smirked. _Except for Charms. _I admit that it had been funny convincing Crabbe and Goyle that Flitwick had told us to direct a stinging jinx on the next group of students to wander past the doorway…

My smirk widened. _Or the next teacher to walk past…_

But now, thanks to my cunning prank, they had landed themselves in detention. Pansy was being a girl and had stopped talking to me for a week, and the rest of the Inner Circle would be in the Slytherin Common Room which meant I had no one else to boss around. Lost for ideas and desperate to tear myself away from homework, I decided to stare aimlessly around the room.

Due to the darkness of night time, several orbs of witch light were slowly circling above the shelves. Madam Pince was sitting behind her desk, nose in a book, ignoring the sting of reality. The two mazes of bookshelves rested on either side of me, thousands of stories creating their barriers. Two parallel rows of tables and chairs ran down the centre of the library, seating a few students here and there.

I sighed. The library looked the same as it always had. Nothing ever seemed to change at school, the land where time stops. I had just begun to write my first sentence about the importance of bezoars when I felt it. I stopped writing, thought better of it, and continued to laze my quill across the parchment. _That feeling…_

It was a slight prickling at the base of my neck. My father had often warned me about it. He had said that I had probably picked it up from him. Back in his Death Eater days, father had said that he'd been saved many times by his instincts, and that I should always trust my own.

My instincts were telling me that someone was watching me.

Slowly, I raised my eyes from the parchment in front of me to whizz around the room. The Ravenclaws were all doing their work. Madam Pince was still reading. A young Hufflepuff boy was wandering the bookshelves to the left of me. No one else was in sight. _Dammit, _I thought. _That means he's behind me._

Continuing to keep my quill strolling across my work, I searched my desk for anything of use. _Books, an extra quill, my wand? No, no. If I randomly started attacking someone in the library that would arouse even more interest in me for my stalker._ _Parchment, an apple, an inkwell-_

_An inkwell…_

Sneakily, I shifted my arm so that the glass inkwell toppled over, splashing ink in a wide arc across the desk. "Dammit!" I cursed, to receive a chorus of hushing sounds hissed from the cluster of Ravenclaws.

I threw them a snigger as I began to clear the mess with a simple cleaning charm. As the ink faded away, I focused on the inkwell. Because of the glass surface, I could see a hazy fish eye view of the room behind me. In the reflection, was the dark shape of someone's robes. I couldn't distinguish the person's face, because it appeared they were holding up a crimson book to cover it. However, the red book lowered slightly, but due to a stubborn drop of ink still clinging to the glass, I still couldn't see anything of my stalker's head.

_Why are you following me? _I thought with narrowed eyes. _Well, I won't be able to figure that out without identifying you first. _

I packed my belongings back into my bag and walked towards the door, maintaining a normal pace. As I entered the hallway, and turned to walk towards the Common Room, I began counting.

_One…two…three…four… _I heard the familiar sound of footsteps behind me. _They're fast._

I decided to test them further, and unexpectedly turned into a side passage that lead directly to the entrance of the Prefect's Common Room. As I continued onwards, I listened.

The sound of footsteps was gone. I frowned, a tad disappointed. I had been interested to find who my stalker was going to be. _Oh well. Better it to be a coincidence than an actual problem._ I exited the small passage and couldn't help my eyes widening in shock.

_It's…her!_

Ryuu walked slightly ahead of me, unclipping her Prefect's Badge as she neared the entrance. Her hair was propped back in a sophisticated bun, and she carried a red book under her arm.

_Ooh, she's clever. But why is she following me? _My mind skimmed over the possibilities. _Suspicion? It was possible. A lot of people think I have evil plots soaring through my brain…but she's a Slytherin. Why would a Slytherin doubt another of their house? No, that can't be it. _

_Admiration? I suppose she was unpopular, and Slytherin is all about social status. But why go to such an extreme? I'm sure that Ryuu would be able to work her way up to a high social standing on her own. _I concealed a laugh. _There was no doubt that she could; with the way she acted on the train._

_Well, that leaves me with only one possibility. Infatuation. _I grinned. With a girl that pretty, maybe I wouldn't mind. But, just to be sure_…I'll need to look into this further._

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Ryuu

I locked the door behind me.

_He'd noticed._

Grumpily, I tossed my bag onto my bed and strolled into my bathroom. "_Lumos." _The light's reflection off the tiles forced me to squint as I walked over to the mirror. I smoothly released my hair from the grip of the clip so that it tumbled down, brushing over my cheeks. Splashing cool water in my face, I grimaced.

_He'd noticed. _I cursed myself for not being more careful. I sat on my bed to see Dusk lying on top of a piece of parchment. _Why is it that he always does that? He can relax anywhere else in my room, yet he chooses to lie on…_

I carefully removed the paper from beneath him.

_…a letter from Dumbledore?_

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"Come in."

Dumbledore's office was a wonder to behold. In every corner, there was something unique. A flame coloured bird, which I realised with astonishment was a phoenix, ruffled its feathers at my entrance. Glass cabinets filled with strange objects lined the walls beside me. Tiny vials containing pearly spirit like gases, antique golden pyramids, a winged skeleton, a book titled: _The Tales Of Beedle The Bard…_

On the other side of the room was a large stone pedestal that had a strange liquid swirling around in it. It was a clear colour, with a blue and silver hue, and for some reason I was reminded of tears. Unconsciously I took a complacent step towards the strange bowl like object before realigning my pathway towards the middle of the room. Dumbledore himself was seated behind his desk, chatting to the portrait next to him. I didn't recognise the man in the painting, but he was sitting in Dumbledore's golden chair and smoking a pipe. The conversation silenced and the Headmaster focused his crisp blue stare on me.

"Welcome Miss Veil! Please, have a seat." His tone was pleasant.

I nodded and stepped forward to sit in the chair before him. "Evening, Professor." I had never spoken directly to him before, but he seemed satisfied with my response_. _

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I see you've taken an interest in my Pensieve."

_What an odd name._ "Pensieve, sir?"

He motioned towards the stone pedestal I'd been drawn to. "A Pensieve is a device that enables the user to access memories that have been stored inside. You can imagine its usefulness for an old man such as myself."

I looked over at the Pensieve. The swirling bright substance in the bowl was almost hypnotic. It was as if the entire pedestal thrummed with magical power, and I wondered what it was that Dumbledore didn't want to forget. "And how do the memories get in there?"

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Perhaps I shall tell you another time if you only ask."

_I did ask._ I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I simply raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore continued on, ignoring my befuddlement. "I have summoned you here today to speak of your business at Hogwarts this year."

"Don't you already know everything?"

"Well, not everything…" he rose from his chair and strolled towards his phoenix. I was a tad annoyed that he instantly decided to stand as I sat, showing his dominance. The bird tilted its head and opened its beak slightly. Dumbledore nodded, as if he was speaking to his bird after a long hard day's work. "But I have learned a lot over the years. In the matter of your task, however, yes I know all about it, but I have yet to learn of your progress."

Talking to Dumbledore frustrated me. He was so difficult to read. It was as if he was so sure of himself that he simply spoke whatever occurred to him at that moment. Yet, everything he said sounded controlled, as if he had already planned this conversation in his head. _Well, those two assumptions contradict each other, so he probably does something else entirely._

"Well, I haven't made much progress so far…"

"Oh, come now. You watched Draco in the library did you not? And I assume that you also eavesdropped on the group of Slytherins relaxing in the shade at lunch?"

I frowned. _Don't know everything, huh? _It was as if he'd called me just to show off how much he knew. I rose from my chair and joined him beside his pet. His phoenix eyed me as I approached and I glared back. "Yes, you're right. But I didn't learn anything of interest."

He faced me once more. "Not to worry Ms. Veil. You have plenty of time, and with time comes success." His baby blue eyes twinkled. "Besides, when it comes to Draco, you'll have lots of opportunities due to Prefect work."

_Oh… _"So that's why you chose me then?" I said. "You chose me for a Prefect because it would make the mission run smoother."

"Everything happens for a reason, Miss Veil," he declared as he returned to his seat. "But it appears, you have seen the wrong reason. I did not select you as a Prefect because of your alliance with the Order."

"Oh." For a moment I felt guilty about my instantaneous negative assumption.

"No. My selection for the Slytherin Prefects this year was quite simple." He met my gaze and grinned. "It has been some time since I have a seen a _true _ Slytherin at Hogwarts; never mind two."

I paused, my mind analysing what he had just said. A true Slytherin? Was there such a thing? I'd heard of so called 'true' Gryffindors – which were people who were fortunate enough to discover and wield the sword of Godric Gryffindor. But a true Slytherin… what did that mean? The Slytherin qualities were cunning, resourcefulness and ambition and as far as I was aware, everyone in Slytherin house had at least a smidgeon of those traits. So why was _I_ the perfect Slytherin? And Dumbledore had said 'two'… did he mean Draco? My case could be explained by favouritism – it was obvious that Dumbledore was a tad biased when it came to students – but _Malfoy?_

Whatever the intention, I saw it as praise. Compliments were a weakness of mine."Thank you, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded cordially. "Now, it is late. I think it best that we _all_ get some rest." He turned to face his phoenix, his gaze a silent command. The bird rolled its eyes and tucked its head beneath its wing.

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Draco

With Saturday came weak sunlight, warmer temperature, and relief from classes. That is, for people who _weren't_ Prefects. Because for people who _were_ Prefects, Saturday came with an early rise in the morning, consistent sips of pumpkin juice in a futile attempt to wake up, and being trapped inside the Common Room for the Weekly Prefect's Meeting.

Two dozen chairs circled the glass table positioned in the centre of the room. Occupying those chairs were the six representatives from each house divided into different quarters of the circle. Ryuu sat in the chair beside me, with Granger on her other side. For someone who'd risen at six o'clock in the morning, Ryuu didn't look tired in the slightest. Her hair was flipped prettily over one shoulder, hiding half of her face from me. I was amused to see that her feet had difficulty reaching the ground, and suddenly realised that she was quite short.

For perhaps the tenth time I wondered why she'd been following me. She seemed to show no interest in me the rest of the time. In fact, she only seemed to catch my eye once she picked up on my staring. Perhaps it had been coincidence… but then again, I'd seen her a lot over the past few days. Just occasionally, in places that I went every day. Like the Charms corridor and near where I usually sat in the Great Hall. I could've sworn I'd spotted her in the distance when I was having lunch with the Inner Circle yesterday.

I remembered when I'd sighted her on Tuesday on the way to Potions. Two third year Ravenclaw boys had been teasing a first year in Hufflepuff. The younger boy was up against the wall, silent and uncomfortable as the two older boys gloated the fact that they'd stolen his textbook. They tossed the shabby old book to each other, and the Hufflepuff just bit his lip, unwilling to fight back.

When suddenly… "Hey!" Ryuu had appeared from nowhere and walked over to the scene. The Ravenclaw boys had sniggered at the small blonde girl trying to tell them what to do. A mistake on their part.

"What do_ you_ want?" the brawnier Ravenclaw had asked derogatively.

Ryuu had turned to them, eyes on fire and voice flat. "What_ I_ want is irrelevant. The real point of the matter is whether you want to walk away from here with a warning, or with the promise of three afternoon detentions with Professor Snape and a _personal_ session with me."

"And what will _you_ make us do?" the other boy asked. "Write lines?"

At that, Ryuu had walked forward until she was inches in front of the boys and casually slid her Prefect's badge out from her pocket. "The floor of the Owlery doesn't clean itself, and I hear Peeves has been really fond of that particular area lately." She held out her hand and the boys grudgingly handed over the book and walked away, shoulders slumped and murmuring under their breath.

Ryuu had then knelt before the first year boy which looked incredibly short at that moment. She handed him the book which he gingerly received. He mumbled something incomprehensible before turning and dashing away, stumbling on the hem of his robe as he did. Ryuu had paused there for a few moments more before straightening up and continuing on to class as if nothing had just happened. And all of this had occurred while other students and staff had continued on their daily routine without sparing so much as a glance.

My reminiscence was interrupted by the commencement of the meeting. "Welcome Prefects, previous and newcomers to the first official Prefect's Meeting of the year." Declared a tall Gryffindor Asian girl with almond eyes and black hair. "I'm Emma Farley." She began to indicate around the circle at the other Head Prefects. The only names I recognised were from Slytherin – and I knew Nicolas Grimmett fairly well.

"Now, the first week back at school is always the biggest – so the Professors have asked the Prefects to offer as much help as they can to the students; in particular the first years." Farley continued in a clear voice. "We all remember what it was like during our first week here – it can be very… confronting for some people."

_'Some people' being mudbloods and halfwits._ I was already bored. I leaned back in my chair and tapped my fingers against the arm in annoyance. This wasn't worth my time. I'd planned to make a trip to Snape's potion storeroom today… I sensed movement beside me and glanced towards Ryuu. She tucked her hair behind her ear so I could now see her face. Her green eyes were sweeping across the room faster than a Firebolt, pausing at each face for a fraction of a second before continuing on. Just before I turned away her eyes found mine, hesitated, and quickly glanced down. _Who are you? _The thought came spontaneously.

A Ravenclaw Prefect stood from his chair, his pale blue eyes tired. His badge glinted and the words: _Head Boy_ were clearly visible. "We're all aware that it's early in the morning and you're probably looking forward to having the rest of the day off. We won't keep you here for too long – there's never really much to organise in the first few weeks." He looked around the table, voice even. "Now, is there are any matters anyone would like to-"

As if she was under the Imperius Curse, Granger's hand shot into the air automatically, as it had in procession to any question asked by the slightest mirage of an authority figure for the last four years.

_"- ask…?" _The Ravenclaw Head Boy finished awkwardly before pointing at Granger. "Ah yes… and you are?"

"Hermione Granger." She responded promptly, shifting forward in her seat to demonstrate just how engaged she was. "And there are a few things I wanted to bring up." To the disguised annoyance of everyone present, Granger produced a clipboard from the side of her chair and practically _shook_ a large quill from her sleeve. As her fast paced voice began to prattle on, I shared a stare with Nicolas Grimmett, who rolled his eyes.

"…And Peeves has _always_ been a problem. In particular around examination times – and I think for the fairness of every student there should be some sort of containment for him; just for when he goes overboard."

"That isn't for the Prefect's Council to be concerned with," said Gabriel Truman the Hufflepuff Head Girl as she slid her fingers across the edge of her hijab. "Peeves is as much a member of Hogwarts as we are. It's up to the Professor's to… _detain_ him if need be."

Granger paused, brown eyes wide before glancing back down at her clipboard. "Yes… well, there's also the matter of the books in the library. In the Astronomy section there is an entire series of books that refuse to let themselves be read. Some of them even fling themselves from the shelf –" she paused "-and attack the students."

"Or maybe they just don't like you, Granger." I remarked slickly. There was a murmur of muffled laughter; in particular from the Slytherin side of the table.

Weasley flared up. "No one asked for your opinion Malfoy!"

"And no one asked for your _mudblood girlfriend_ to ramble on-"

There was a great guffaw from the Slytherin side of the table, followed by a tirade of yelling from the others. Granger's mouth twisted in anger and she strode up to her tower, slamming the door behind her. Weasley had already taken a few steps toward me before Ernie Macmillan held him back. I looked over to Ryuu, only to notice, with an uncomfortable squirm in my stomach, that she was sitting completely still and silent, face blank.

"ENOUGH!" Emma Farley yelled, shooting orange sparks from her wand up to the roof. The chaos abated. "This meeting is adjourned." Her almond eyes were fixed on me. I held her gaze as everyone got up and left. Once the room was mostly empty, Farley walked over to my chair and stood in front of me, arms crossed over her chest.

"I have no tolerance for your shit, Malfoy." I was a tad taken aback. I hadn't expected she would swear. "If this happens again, I _will_ go to a higher authority." I tried to conceal a scoff but I think it appeared for an instant as a smirk. Farley shook her head. "I'm not an idiot. I won't go to Snape. I'll go to Dumbledore."

My fist clenched. _Act normal. _It seemed that whenever the Headmaster's name was mentioned I happened to go oddly stiff. Farley turned and walked away as my fingers uncurled. Sighing, I stood and caught movement in the corner of my eye. When I looked up it was to see Ryuu standing near the doorway to the Slytherin tower. I threw her a sketchy smirk, but instead of blushing or smiling like most girls did, she just stared back at me. For two seconds I felt like I was being held captive by her gaze, before she shifted and hurried up the stairs without looking back.

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A/N: Oh, Draco. How paranoid you are. Seriously, who thinks of using an inkwell as a mirror? Maybe some crazy person planted the idea in his head. J The extract that Draco read from the library book: _Japanese Words And Enchantments (English Translation) _is not of my creation. I found the information here: alphabetical_ordered_list_of_ and added 'Ryuu' as a word at the end. In addition, I'd like to thank my Beta for coming up with the idea of Prefect's meetings.


	6. Chapter 6 - A Goltrup In My Flamboloop

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Greetings! In this chapter, you'll get a small introduction into the wonderful psycho that is Pansy Parkinson. Hope you enjoy. Take note that the characters of Dennis Creevy and Zacharias Smith have been altered for this story. Dennis is in Ryuu's year, as is Zach. (Colin Creevy is Dennis's younger brother rather than older.) In addition, there were also changes to each character's appearance.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 6 – A Goltrup In My Flamboloop

Draco

"Geez, it's just _awful_ to be back at school. Especially with all these _new ones_ walking around…" Pansy moaned, indicating to a group of first years sitting by the lake. There were several murmurs of agreement from the gang. I leaned back into the tree trunk, trying to drown out her tiresome wining. I really wasn't in the mood today. My mind was preoccupied with Ryuu. It was infuriating how everything she did made me second guess. She was just simply not like other girls. Pansy's continued pining brought me glumly back to the present.

"I mean, have you noticed that hardly any of them got in Slytherin this year? Most of them got in _Hufflepuff. _I mean what can _they_ even do?!"

"Nothing," said the sullen voice of Theodore Nott, who I hadn't noticed was leaning against a rock with his legs stretched out in front of him.

"Exactly…" Pansy agreed. She then continued on in her rant. Pushing my back into the tree, feeling the solidity of a knot press into my back; I wondered if it would be more painful to develop a bruise on my spine or continue listening to Pansy.

My eyes widened as I saw Ryuu walking out from the castle, her attention focused on a small group relaxing against the outer wall. I wondered briefly if she was still stalking me. _She's so… strange. Who is she? _The question didn't answer itself and I scowled.

Pansy, who was sitting next to me, narrowed her eyes, and I heard her whisper something under her breath, her gaze directed at Ryuu.

"Hey, Pansy. Walk with me."

Her face met mine with a barely concealed expression of delight. "Sure!"

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I knew it was morally wrong to take advantage of a woman's feelings, but Pansy knew something about Ryuu, I could tell from the way she'd looked at her. Besides, I knew that whatever the situation was, Pansy would confide in me. We walked over to the edge of the lake, Pansy grinning at me when we stopped. _"_So, what _is_ it Draco?" she inquired teasingly.

"I was wondering if you could tell me something."

She seemed a tad surprised. She smiled as if we shared a secret and glanced into the shallow surface of the lake, admiring her reflection. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"That blonde girl. Ryuu Veil." Pansy's entire being stilled. "What do you know about-?"

Pansy's eyes widened and she pressed her palm to my mouth. "Are you crazy, Draco!?"

I forced her hand away. "Look who's calling me crazy! How dare you-!"

"Shhh!" Her pepper eyes were so wide I could see the whites outlining her pupils.

"Why are you-?" I tried again, but -

"SHHH!"

I silenced myself and threw her a grimace. "What are you doing?!" I said in a low tone.

Pansy flushed and flicked her ponytail back. "Don't you remember Draco?"

Pansy was one for starting every one of her gossip sessions with vague rhetorical questions. "Remember what?"

She bit her lip. "First year. After the sorting."

My patience was waning. "Pansy. What happened? What has this got to do with Ryuu?" I was beginning to get a bad niggling feeling in the back of my mind.

She advanced until she was a few inches before me and placed her hand on my shoulder. She spoke in a voice quieter than a whisper. _"Don't say Its name Draco!"_

_ Did she just say 'it'? _When I didn't reply, Pansy continued. "We had just come back from the sorting. We were in the Common Room, and we were all talking. We could all identify each other because of our family names. I can't believe you don't remember…"

"Well I'm not like you, Miss Memory." Pansy had an uncanny ability of recollection. I cast my mind back to that day. It had been so long ago. I had never imagined it to be particularly significant. It might have been for others, but I was promised a place in leading Slytherin as a birthright. I had no need to prove myself to anyone.

Pansy watched me intently. "Do you remember when It came up to us? It introduced Itself…"

I narrowed my eyes at her. I thought her wording had been strange. "Why are you calling her 'It'?"

Pansy groaned in annoyance. "Because, Draco! _It's a mudblood!_"

A heart beat of confusion. A squirm in my stomach. And then it all came rushing back to me. _Of course! How could I have forgotten?! _A mudblood had been sorted into Slytherin for the first time in centuries… I remembered back to early days in first year. _We neglected her, drove her away. _At some stage her name had even disappeared from our minds.

_It would be like It had never happened._

And it all made sense now. Every year she'd become less and less important, practically un-noticeable; until finally I'd forgotten about her existence completely.

_It was like she had never happened._

Pansy was staring at me as if I had just spoken parsletongue. I realised that I hadn't said anything in some time. Looking for words to say, my mouth babbled out the first thing that came to mind. "I'd forgotten…"

"And now, the little bitch is a Prefect instead of me!" she said sourly, ignoring my statement. "This place _really_ has gone to the dogs."

We walked back to the group and sat in our places. For a while, there was silence, except for the ongoing horrendously loud breathing of Reeah Noseworthy.

_She's… a mudblood._

Pansy began another period of whining.

_She's… a mudblood. _

The bell tolled and we solemnly stood and began to walk back to the castle. The sun pushed radiant heat onto my back as I made my way towards the school.

_But… she's different._

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Ryuu

I hadn't seen Luna all day, so I scanned the playground eagerly. Sure enough I spied my friends sitting in our usual spot near the outer wall. When I was a few feet away, Dennis spoke up. "Oh, Ryuu! Um, you're just the person I, um, need!"

"But of course," I said with a smile as I sat down. "It is _me_ after all."

"Would you like a human body to go with that ego?" droned Zach. He sprawled on the grass, the sun warming his face and his eyes closed.

"I'm right thanks. This body looks great already."

Zach opened and rolled his yellow eyes, which glinted from the sunlight. Suddenly, Luna embraced me. Her silvery hair smelled like cinnamon. "How's your day been Ryuu?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"Not too bad." I smiled. Luna's hand-made radish earrings never failed to amuse me. "Yours?"

"Magical, actually. But I suppose every day is…" she mused.

Dennis was following our conversation as if he was at a tennis match, his deep brown stare worried. For a moment I was reminded extremely of a lost puppy. "Um- Ryuu! I really do need to ask you something!"

I removed my bag from my shoulder and placed it on the ground beside me. "Sure. Ask away."

He hurriedly retrieved a piece of parchment and normal muggle pencil from his bag. "Um-could you please write something down for me? Well, you know- if you want to that is…"

"Okay." I said as I lightly took the objects from his grasp and looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, um- right! For my brother's birthday, my Dad wanted to get him a new camera, seeing as his old one broke. But, he doesn't know what type to get him. And I figured, because you know a lot about that kind of stuff…"

I thought about Dennis's younger brother, Colin Creevy. He striked me as the type of person to take random photos everywhere he went, so the camera couldn't be too fragile… I put pencil to paper, still keeping my ears open to the conversation around me.

"So anyway, like I was saying before," Zach droned in his usual negative tone, "I just don't like the look of that Umbridge woman."

_Samsung Digital Camera… _I wrote, keeping my ears open.

Luna untwined a small silver bell from her hair, and idly pocketed it. "Something about her seems much… rehearsed. As if she's a puppet that follows orders. My Dad has always told me to stay clear of puppets, but that might just be because Goltrups live inside of them."

"Um- Goltrups?" said Dennis meekly.

_Black… 20 – 50mm lens…_

"Oh yes. They're small creatures that feed on the fibres of wood and plastics. However, if they're threatened they will tunnel into human flesh."

I smirked at the familiar sound of Zach's derogatory scoff.

_14.6 Megabits. _I then moved my pencil downwards and began to draw. Knowing Dennis, it was likely he'll lose and or forget the details of the camera, so it was probably a good idea to give him a clear image.

"I'm pretty sure that I've got a Goltrup infestation in my Flamboloop."

I looked up at Zach's strange interjection to see Luna frown. I cast Zach one of my glances but he just shrugged at me. "What's a Flamboloop?" Luna asked, her sky blue eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh, it's quite similar to a Goltrup… in the way that neither of them exist."

"Settle down Zach," I said as I returned my gaze to the parchment. "Keep your non-existent balls in order."

Small clusters of giggles protruded from Dennis and Luna, but with a glare from Zach, Dennis went quiet. His deep brown walnut shaped eyes turned away to face the sun, and for a brief moment, I could've sworn I saw a rim of crimson encircle the irises. My throat clenched as a flash of _the_ eyes stirred in my consciousness.

"So Ryuu," Zach began, "how's it going being a Prefect with the Prince of Slytherin himself?"

I paused in my drawing. I'd made a conscious effort to not tell my friends about being a Prefect. Dennis would find me intimidating, Luna would give me three dozen tips on how I could have a hand in lowering the Nargle infestation in the Quidditch locker rooms. But Zach would be the worst. His smug teasing I could handle, but he would insist on letting me into the Prefect's Common Room and allowing him to skip classes whenever he pleased. "How do you know about that?"

His eyes glinted. "We Hufflepuffs have many ways of finding things out."

"Is that so?" I said, as I racked my brains for any way that he might have obtained that knowledge.

His mouth bent into a crooked smile. "You're wearing a Prefect's badge, genius."

I glanced down at my robes to see the silver glint of the badge pinned to my chest. Darn. Again, the giggling began. Except this time it was taunting _my_ pride. I raised an eyebrow at Dennis and he flushed as he quietened. Luna continued however, but that was only expected of a best friend.

I sighed. "Well, it's actually not that bad. I mean Draco's his usual petty self, but I've grown more than used to tolerating it."

Zach rolled onto his stomach, throwing me a smirk. "Draco, huh? On a first name basis now are we?"

I ignored him.

"What are the Prefect Dormitories like?" Luna asked.

I went through a brief explanation, again focusing on drawing the camera. The lens was too dark so I flicked the pencil over and vigorously rubbed the eraser over the thick pencil line.

"I was kind of hoping that I would be a Prefect…" Dennis mumbled shyly.

I sensed Zach's mouth opening to bark a retort, but because no sound came out I assumed that he had restrained it. For this I was glad. We all knew that Dennis got a hard time from the other Gryffindors. He was very introverted and even a harmless taunt or jibe could break his already weak self confidence. He'd received more self esteem over the years that I'd known him. I was the last to join the group, about halfway through my second year of Hogwarts. It was really Luna that had brought us all together. We had all quickly become friends because loners prefer to sit with other loners. Despite our clashing personalities, we all shared one common trait. Our own houses had neglected us. Me, for my blood status, Luna for her oddities, Dennis for his meek traits and Zach because…well he was a bit of a dick. It was like the old saying went. Birds of a feather flock together, but there's always one black sheep in the family.

An awkward silence fluttered around our heads and I quickly felt the need to break it.

"Here you go, Dennis." I smiled as I handed him the parchment. It was undeniable that I could draw. The camera almost looked real, it was so accurate to the image I held in my mind. As a child, I had often tried to copy my father's pictures onto paper with drawings, and the habit had stuck.

"Oh, thank you Ryuu!" he looked down at my drawing and then his cheeks reddened. "But um… it's just that…"

"What?" I asked politely. I knew it was nice to accept constructive criticism, but every time I did from a teacher or my parents, I always felt a hint of frustration.

He looked up at me, biting the inside of his lip. "Muggle cameras don't work in Hogwarts."

I opened my mouth slightly, annoyed at my own stupidity as Zach's deep laugh danced around the group. "Nice one, Veil."

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Draco

I went through my classes only half aware of what was going on around me. _What is wrong with me? Why am I so fascinated with a mudblood?_

The questions kept circling through my head, and a part of me really wanted to deny the thought.

_It doesn't matter. Forget about it and move on. You needn't waste your time on this._

_…But why?_

_Stop._

I remembered what my father had told me when I was very young. "_Draco, some wizards are born better than others. You don't want to be messing around with the wrong sort. You are a pureblood. So therefore, you were born better than the others. There are four types of wizards Draco. There's us, the top of the chain. Then there are halfbloods. They have potential, yes, but it mostly depends on their virtues. After them are blood traitors. They can be either pureblood or halfblood, and have made the foolish mistake of siding with scum. But, Draco, there is worse. Mudbloods. Muggles who pose as wizards but do not deserve the gift of magic that has unnaturally chanced upon them."_

Father had drilled this into my brain pretty much every day when I was five. I knew the words. I knew what they meant. I knew who I was.

_So… why?_

It was strange how despite her blood, Ryuu was undeniably a talented witch. In almost every class (except of course Defence Against The Dark Arts) the Professors chose Prefects to perform a demonstration of each new spell as we learned them. On occasion, they called up the Ravenclaws or the Hufflepuffs; but more often than not myself and Ryuu were chosen. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it seemed to be the pair of us practicing practical magic together nearly every time.

As the Professor instructed us and provided an example, I would hasten to copy their movements, whereas Ryuu would hesitate for just a moment longer, staring at the magic in awe. Almost as if she was amazed to see its affect every time. Then, she would perform the spell and in some instances it would be stronger and work quicker than my own – which I found extremely confusing. In Charms, we learned the Chameleon Charm which she practically mastered on her first try, whereas it took me three. In Transfiguration, we had to turn cabinets into mattresses. This was easy for me, and I completed the task in a manner of seconds. Ryuu took a minute or so longer, however once she had done it, she got a better mark than me because her mattress had stronger springs.

There had to be some magical lineage in her family. Even for the things that really confused her, like Herbology – she learned quicker than most and never made the same mistake twice. Every now and again she'd catch me staring at her and tried to make conversation, however I barely answered, or pretended to be preoccupied with something else.

_There's something strange about this girl…_ I kept thinking, before I righted myself. _She's a mudblood. End of story._

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A/N: A thanks to my Beta, who continually allows me to pay her out. J


	7. Chapter 7 - TFT

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: I forgot to mention this in the last chapter – but I have also modified Dennis Creevy's blood status for REASONS. He is half-blood; however like Harry, both of his parents are wizards. Just keep this in mind. In this chapter you get more interactions with the golden trio and a little bit of Umbridge… o_O

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 7 - TFT

Ryuu

"Ouch!"

I turned in my chair to see Hermione seated behind me. "Sorry!" she whispered hurriedly.

I was taken aback by the randomness of this situation. Hermione shouldn't be speaking with me. Not here in class. Anyone could see. I cast a nervous look at Draco seated at the front of the room, his back to me. When I spoke, my tone was low and pissed off. _"You kicked me!"_

"I know, I'm sorry, but I had to tell you something."

"And kicking was the only form of communication?" I hissed.

Hermione paused. "Right, sorry…"

Ron's head poked around Hermione's shoulder from the desk behind her. The seats had been moved around so it was only one person per desk. Umbridge thought it would improve our independent learning. I thought that it created an unnecessary thin path maze through the classroom, where there was barely any room to manoeuvre."Oi, Hermione! Have you told her yet?"

"Told me what?" I asked.

"Well, we were thinking-"

Harry's head appeared on the other side of Hermione, from behind Ron. "Maybe we should talk about this after class." Both Ron and Hermione ignored him and started to whisper at me. Because of their overlapping speech, I couldn't determine what they were actually saying. I rolled my eyes. _Gryffindorks._

"Okay listen," I said keeping my tone low, "tell me later." I said as I threw a nervous glance towards Draco. He hadn't noticed my quiet interactions with the trio. In fact, it seemed like he'd barely been noticing me at all for the past two days. There was something strange about him, he'd barely spoken to me at all. His apparent avoidance made me feel… odd. Like I was failing the job.

I frowned and turned back to my textbook, clearing my head with words. _Chapter 8 – Why Defensive Magic is Dangerous… Defensive Magic is completely unnecessary for the wellbeing of young wizards and witches, because they are absolutely and positively safe. The Ministry sees it as top priority that children are safe at school and at home…_

I scowled. _Did Umbridge write this book?!_

"Ahem."

My scowl widened, but I quickly adjusted it to a polite smile. The class looked up as Umbridge lowered her spectacles so that they swung on the chain around her short neck. "Miss Veil."

I made my expression go blank as the class continued reading.

"Yes?"

"Were you speaking just now?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Hopefully not, seeing as it is against the class rules…" the toad wiggled her nose "…Professor."

I noticed from the corner of my eye that Draco wasn't watching. Instead he was staring down at his empty desk, completely absorbed in his own thoughts. _Good._

"Indeed." said Umbridge. Her voice was primped. Everything she said she considered carefully in her mind first, I'd noticed a slight stillness in her eyes just before she spoke.

I returned my stare to the page in front of me. _Magic cannot be used outside of school because of the high risk of injury…_

"Ahem."

Her little calls for attention nearly made my eye twitch in frustration. Again, I cleared my face. "Yes?"

The stare paused. Her lips curled upwards at the ends. "There is no talking in my classroom Miss Veil."

"I am well aware of that… Professor." I didn't like how she kept saying my name in a passive aggressive way. It was as if she was reminding me who I was. I threw a cautious glance towards Draco, but he didn't seem to be noticing any of this interaction. I heard Hermione shift uncomfortably behind me.

Umbridge suddenly broke the ebb of silence, speaking slowly and clearly like she was speaking to someone who didn't understand English. "Are you also well aware that you have spoken out of term in _my_ classroom Miss Veil?" She practically dripped condescension and I itched to dry her off with a cold blast of attitude. A thousand witty responses circled through my head, but I held my tongue – not wanting to attract attention to myself.

Her eyes bored into mine. They were a similar blue to Luna's except devoid of light. And unlike Luna who looked right through you, Umbridge's stare was intently focused on every movement I made.

When I didn't reply, the gargoyle sighed over dramatically, pleased with herself. "Detention Miss Veil. My office, 8 o'clock."

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"I'm so sorry, Ryuu." Hermione apologised for the third time.

"It's fine. Really." I lied. Unbeknownst to the rest of the class, the four of us had casually slipped into a side hallway that was hardly ever used. It would take us a tad longer to get to Charms, but it gave us some time to talk.

"But, now you've got a detention!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," I lied again. I was getting better at it every day. "Anyway, what did you guys want to talk to me about? – And by the way you all seriously need lessons in subtlety."

We smoothly separated, me on my own and the others as a trio when a young Ravenclaw girl entered our vision. Noticing Ron's Prefect Badge, she paused. "Excuse me, but do you know the way to the main staircases?"

"Err-sure." Ron said uncomfortably. As he stumbled through a rough explanation I could tell that he wasn't good with kids – even though the girl was probably only a few years younger than him. As she walked away, we merged together again.

"Well," said Harry. "We think we should have a meeting. About, you know…"

"Right…" I said evenly, my mind groaning on the inside. So far my progress in the mission had brought forth much results. Contrary to popular belief, Slytherins didn't just prance around the Dungeons yelling about their clandestine Death Eater training to the world – or perform secret You-Know-Who worship sessions on Sundays. Two days ago, I'd sat in the Slytherin Common Room all afternoon and well into the night, pretending to read a book and listening to what people were saying. After hours I heard nothing of interest and nearly got caught by Filch on the way back to the Prefect's Dormitories.

Hermione interjected, "I think that if we're going to do this regularly, we should have specific meeting place and should meet at the same time every week."

"How about Wednesdays?" I asked.

"Okay, firstly it should be at night," said Ron.

"Well," I flicked my hair out of my eyes. "I'm going to be out tonight after my detention. How about…10pm?"

They guiltily nodded in agreement, as we passed a portrait of a Giant Squid. When it saw us, its singular eye widened and we had to avoid the spray of ink splattered in our direction as it swam back to the far reaches of the painting.

Hermione easily removed a large ink stain from Ron's sleeve, and I quickly copied the spell on myself. A particularly excessive amount of ink had latched onto a curl of my hair and I was relieved to see that Hermione's incantation worked. "I don't think we should further discuss anything here. Let's quickly decide on a location?"

Hermione returned her wand to her pocket. "What about the Great Hall?"

"Nice and inconspicuous, Hermione," I said.

"But it is, kind of…" Ron began. His head was tilted to the right as if he was trying to see around a corner. "I mean, it's the last place anyone would expect. And, if people go snooping around at night why would they go to a place where they can visit three times a day?"

"Exactly," said Hermione.

I narrowed my eyes. I was going to suggest that we meet outside the castle, perhaps in the courtyard. That way, the prospect of Filch finding us would be less likely. But for some reason – maybe I'd been hanging around Gryffindorks too much – their logic made a bit of sense.

Harry nodded as we came towards the main hallway leading to Charms. I could see a fair amount of students walking along. "That's settled then," he said. "The Great Hall, 10pm tonight."

"But, wait," I said. "If you guys all go together, won't you get caught?"

The three of them shared a grin. "Oh, there's no need to worry about that," Harry said mischievously. "I guarantee we won't be caught."

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I waited until the second hand on my watch ticked exactly onto 8pm before I knocked on Umbridge's door. "Come in, Miss Veil." When I entered, I was hardly surprised. I had assumed Umbridge was the type of person to inflict herself on the world around her. However, her office was still too pink and lacy for my liking.

Ornate china plates hung on strands of silk around the walls, displaying the imprinted images of kittens and cats. I was a cat person, but something about these particular felines unnerved me. It was obvious that all drawings and pictures in Hogwarts were alive- to some extent at least- but these cats seemed _too alive_. It was almost as if they were real cats and Umbridge was a large pink crazy cat lady who'd imprisoned them in plates.

The office was disturbingly small, but had a few windows to withhold my panic. The walls were tinged pink, and smoother than the normal walls of Hogwarts castle. A domineering cupboard towered over me on the left side of the room. Umbridge sat at her desk in the centre of a circular carpet, looking at me expectantly. Her eyes shifted to rest on a small desk in front of her own that displayed a singular piece of parchment and a black feathered quill. I frowned at the dramatic difference in colour.

It was obvious that I was supposed to sit at the desk, but I waited until she told me to, because I knew it would annoy her more. It struck me as I stood in her office just how much I disliked the woman. She was just so… _condescending. _I could take mean, bossy and stern – these were daily for me from Slytherin. But someone treating me like an ignorant child really angered me.

"Tea?" She chirped.

I kept a fluid face, making sure not to smile in case she thought I was being cocky. "No thank you."

A shadow of a grin hovered on her lips as she poured the rosy pink liquid into her own tea cup. There was a brief silence as she took her first sip. The chair I was sitting in was extremely uncomfortable, and a part of me considered that Umbridge had done this purposefully.

"As a penalty for chatting in class, you will be writing lines this evening Miss Veil."

_No shit. _I picked up the quill and readied it above the paper. "What would you like me to write?"

Something in her expression twitched and her eyes glinted. "You will write the word Outlier, Miss Veil."

My eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion and I raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?" My voice had more of an edge to it than I'd intended.

"Did I not make myself clear Miss Veil?"

_Nothing about you is clear. And that's why I don't like you. _I rephrased myself. "It just seems strange to me… _Professor_." I said, putting emphasis on her title. "I'm here for speaking in class, and yet you want me to write a word completely unrelated to the situation." I was sick of her speaking to me like I didn't understand her. Two could play at that game.

Her face produced a satisfying flicker of annoyance. "This word does not relate to this particular problem Miss Veil, but rather a more significant one." She stood and turned her back to me. "I have noticed something, Miss Veil. Something that troubles me, as I feel it most certainly must trouble you…" She turned to face me. "It appears that Slytherin house hasn't taken to you very well." She flashed a psychiatrist's 'It's going to be just fine' smile.

I rolled my eyes. _Why is it that everyone is only starting to realise this now?_

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Draco

I jumped as I heard the unexpected sound.

_Meow!_

I slowly lowered the book to see the cat sitting stubbornly on top of my O.W.L notes. Dusk was staring directly at me, and I grimaced. "Go away. Go on, shoo!"

The cat continued to stare at me.

"Leave." I pointed towards Ryuu's room, which was separated from my own by a short passageway.

He ignored my order and lifted his paw to its mouth. A pink tongue slid from its jaw to slide over his sunset coloured fur. I frowned, folding down the corner of my page. Leaning in close, I watched in fascination as the kitten's eyes found mine and the pupil spread like ink to reach to the circumference of its eyeball. "Get out of my sight. I demand you." I said in my coldest voice.

The cat's ears flicked forwards and it hissed at me.

_Why isn't it obeying me?! _I thought in frustration.

"Right, then." I said as I quickly latched my hands around the kitten's middle and pressed him to my side. The feline squirmed and struggled in my grasp, but I held it steady. I walked through the small connection between the two rooms and opened the door to Ryuu's dormitory. Normally, I wouldn't enter a lady's room without knocking, as my mother had always instructed me to, but I knew for a fact that Ryuu was in detention, plus it hardly mattered now. _She's a mudblood, Draco. That's it._

The room was quite similar to mine, except for the occasional splatters of female residence here and there. A black jewellery box sat on top of her desk, but it was empty except for a gold chain sprawled across the satin inside. The bathroom door was ajar, and I quickly averted my gaze. It was already invasive enough that I was in her bedroom; it would be creepy if I looked inside her bathroom.

Upon her bedside table was a picture frame that displayed a still image. _This must be a muggle portrait… _I thought in curiosity as I studied it. It was very strange to see none of the people moving, but once I had gotten over that, I recognised Ryuu standing in front of a woman who was probably in her mid thirties. The woman had olive skin and long straight black hair. Then I saw her bright green eyes. Ryuu's eyes. _But of course that's her mother._ Their faces were almost identical, but their smiles were completely different somehow. Ryuu was sickly pale in comparison to her mother, and obviously had failed to inherit her skin tone. They were standing on the side of the street in the rain, underneath a bright red umbrella. Ryuu didn't look any different, so I assumed that the picture couldn't have been taken too long ago.

The cat continued to wriggle in my grip and I drew my gaze away from the picture. Ignoring Dusk's protests, I placed him on a chair and hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind me. _That'll take care of him._

I frowned as I remembered the picture on Ryuu's bedside table. Both of them were… _happy._ My father had always said that muggles were like an entire different species from wizards, but they had looked… well, normal.

I grimaced as I entered my room. Dusk was curled up on top of my notes once more.

"How did you-?!" I sighed. _Accursed cat…_

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Ryuu

"And?" I said almost instantly.

She paused for a moment, surprised at my unexpected acceptance of her statement. Her eyes stilled for a beat longer than normal before she found her infuriating voice. "Teamwork and cooperation is essential to the workings of a school. Without it, disruptions and disloyalty can occur." She said, as if she were reading from a textbook.

I froze. _Disloyalty? Does she… know? No, there's no way she could. Calm down. _"So…" I began, "you're going to make me write lines because I'm unpopular?"

Her lip curled and she advanced to stand before me. "Slytherin house is very important to this school. It is _essential _that all its occupants work together."

I frowned, not letting it show too much. _Does she honestly think that writing lines will persuade me to join Slytherin? And why is she so crazy about Slytherin working as a team? _I thought over everything she had said as she turned to seat herself at her desk once more. I concealed my gasp with a muffled cough as a thought occurred to me.

_Could she be… a Death Eater?!_

"Please begin." Umbridge said in her high pitched voice.

I lowered the quill to the parchment focusing on keeping my expression blank and my movements natural. _I could be right. She could be working secretly for the Dark Lord._

_Outlier… Outlier… Outlier…_

_The Ministry wouldn't know of course… Or would they? Maybe the Ministry is just one big organisation of Death Eaters…_

_Outlier… Outlier… Outlier…_

I felt a tingling feeling in my arm as my pulse quickened. _Maybe that's why Fudge is acting so strangely. Maybe he's under the imperious curse! Or, surely he isn't a Death Eater as well?_

_Outlier… Outlier… Out-_

I flinched. A painful jab had pricked at the inside of my arm.

_Outlier…_

"Argh!" I breathed, so that Umbridge couldn't hear me. My arm hurt and it felt hot, like I had just pressed a flaming needle against my flesh. Unbidden, my mother's explanations of cardiac arrest symptoms flashed to the front of my mind. The pain dulled after a minute, but I could still feel it tingling, waiting…

_Outlier… Outlier… Outlier…_

The pain was increasing as I wrote. _What the-?!_

I lifted the quill from the parchment as I saw a strand of maroon liquid run down from the back of my wrist across my palm. My eyes widened. _It couldn't be… blood… _I stared at the quill that rested in my right palm. The feather was jet black and the nib, which I had failed to notice before, was a deep crimson red.

"Miss Veil?"

I met Umbridge's gaze knowing that my eyes looked shocked. I hastily plastered a pleasant smile on my face and kept my tone light, but sincere, unconsciously mirroring her body movements to improve her attitude towards me. "I've been considering what you said, Professor."

_Keep calm._

Her face brightened, "And?"

"And, I think you're right. Teamwork is important." I strengthened my pretend smile.

"Wonderful, Miss Veil!"

"Yes, I think my school years will be much more enjoyable if I bond with my peers." Now _I _sounded like I was reading a script. _Tell her what she wants to hear, Ryuu._

_Keep control._

"Well, Miss Veil, I'm very happy with our progress here tonight," She said as she lowered her teacup to balance delicately on its saucer. "You may leave now; I will see you in class next week."

I smiled again, lowering my head in a small bow before standing and walking towards the open door. I kept my pace normal.

_Keep calm. Keep in control. _

I walked down the stairs and into the classroom, holding my head high and listening to the eerie silence broken only by the sound of my footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

_Calm, control._

I entered the hallway and allowed myself to breathe. I quickly stumbled towards a light source and flung the sleeve of my robe aside. A crimson stain was spread over the white cloth. I slowly unbuttoned it and let it fall away. Rolling it up, I winced as it brushed against the wound.

_Outlier._

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The light from the full moon flooded the hallway as I tied my sock around the scars. The blood flow had eased, but was still stinging. It was difficult to tie the sock around my wrist with only one hand, but I knew I had to apply pressure to the wound. Ron was right. I hadn't seen Filch at all on my way towards the Great Hall. It was completely empty now, as I sat on the Slytherin table, on the outskirts of the light protruding from the flames of the lantern.

One thing was for sure. Umbridge was clearly demented. What kind of a sadist used that form of punishment on children? _There must be something in the water at the Ministry… _But something else made me feel increasingly uncomfortable about her. The things she'd spoken about gave me a horrible indicator that she knew things about me. Perhaps she was spying on me. Like the hypocrite I was, this made me very angry. I'd have to be more careful. I hastily covered my now bound wrist as I heard a noise from behind me. I reached for my wand and pointed it into the darkness around me. I wouldn't usually be so edgy, but because of my recent physical abuse, I deemed the precaution necessary.

"Don't panic," said a voice from next to my shoulder.

I gasped in shock and I was about to scream when Hermione appeared from nowhere beside me. The scream caught in my throat as she hastily placed a finger to her lips and said "Shhh!"

Harry and Ron appeared behind her, again from nowhere. "It's us."

"Uh –huh." I said. "Since when can you appear suddenly behind me in the darkness!?"

Harry threw nothing towards me and I felt it brush over my head. I tore it off and inspected it. It felt like spider webs in my fingers. The outside of the cloth was as non-existent as Zacharias's balls, but the inside was patterned and silky, an ivory colour.

"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron as he sat down beside me.

"You don't say?" I muttered half heartedly, before realising what a great asset it was. "Could I borrow it some time?"

"No." Harry snapped a little too quickly and harshly.

"Sorry about the shock," said Hermione. "I was hoping you wouldn't panic."

I shrugged. "Oh, don't worry. Happens all the time…"

"Well, enough chit-chat," said Ron, as he retrieved a packet of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from his robes and offered them around. "Let's get to business."

I told them about what I had learned from Draco, which was annoyingly little. So I quickly went on to what I'd learned from my afternoon of eavesdropping. They were particularly interested to hear that Theodore Nott was the only Slytherin who dared say the Dark Lord's true name. I had heard this from Pansy Parkinson, who was usually excited with gossip, but this had left her panting with hysteria. Once I had gone through my entire spiel about Reeah Noseworthy and how she'd said that their father often spoke to the fading imprint of his Death Eater tattoo, Harry asked me about my detention with Umbridge.

At first I hesitated, thinking about what I should tell them. Something in the way they were looking at me was unusual. It was as if they knew. I decided it was probably best to tell the truth.

When I had recounted the entire event, Hermione demanded that I show her my scars. As she inspected them, she shook her head, sighing. "This is Murtlap Essence. It sooths and heals cuts…" she said as she retrieved a small blue bottle from her pocket and poured the contents onto a cloth. The liquid steamed slightly as it dissolved into the fabric, but was pleasantly cool when Hermione began to dab it against my wounds. The scars closed up and stopped bleeding. I could already see them begin to fade.

"Umbridge is mental. She did the same thing to Harry, you know."

I met Harry's eyes. "Really?"

He nodded gravely, and released his own arm from his sleeve to show to me. Awkwardly I leaned over to see a faint outline of the words that used to be so prominent.

I must not tell lies.

There was a silence and I munched distractedly on my apple pie flavoured bean. "This is going to sound crazy, but… I think she might be a Death Eater."

Three pairs of eyes widened as I explained my theory. We went into deep discussion about the possibilities and Hermione even pulled out a parchment and quill and began to hastily write a letter to the Order.

"I'll post this tomorrow," she said, "Harry, do you mind if I borrow Hedwig?"

"Of course."

I stammered. "Wait, so Hermione can borrow your owl – your living, breathing bird – but you can't lend me your cloak?"

Harry nodded. "That's right."

I opened my mouth to retort, but couldn't think of an argument. I glanced at Ron and he shrugged in answer. I crossed my arms in front of me, slightly peeved. I was only doing all of their dirty work for them. I wouldn't have minded a hint of gratitude.

"Well everyone, I think that this has been a very successful week," Ron said with a grin, "And it's only our first official TFT meeting."

Everyone looked at him with confused expressions and he grinned wickedly. "TFT. I thought it would be a cool group nickname."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

Ron stood up dramatically and said, "Team Ferret Takedown."

In the same moment Harry and Ron burst into fits of hysterics. Hermione rolled her eyes at their immaturity and grabbed the invisibility cloak. I shook my head, remembering the Amazing Bouncing Ferret incident. Draco had received taunts from the other houses for weeks and it had resulted in severe wounds to his pride. Since then, it was common to hear some of the braver Gryffindors refer to him as 'Ferret Boy'.

"That," I said, "is so cruel." But a smirk still threatened my frown.

Ron shrugged and walked over towards Hermione with Harry close behind him. "Call it whatever you want to call it, Ryuu. But really, great job this week."

_Oh, there's the gratitude. _I mentally thanked the darkness as I felt my cheeks tinge pink. _Praise. _"Thanks."

The three of them disappeared under the cloak. I could hear the footsteps walking past me, and watched as Ron stuck his head into visibility.

"Well, off you go then. Keep up the good work in _Operation Ferret!_"

I sighed as the trio walked away, invisible once more. Harry's and Ron's laughter was eventually suppressed by Hermione scolding them into silence.

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A/N: Operation Ferret is go! As an after note I totally empathise with Draco. Am I the only one who has an extremely apathetic cat who won't obey my commands?


	8. Chapter 8 - A Pack Of Snakes

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Apologies for the last chapter! Forgot to add in separation lines… In this chapter you'll get an inside view of the structure of Slytherin house in this story.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 8 – A Pack Of Snakes

Draco

I decided I would sit next to Blaise Zabini today. He had recently proved himself useful and I thought it would be a good idea to give him a clear indication that he was now at the top of Slytherin. I could even tolerate his girlfriend now, because I had become used to the heavy sound of her breathing that reminded me of a forest thrashing wildly in a hurricane.

It was the weekend. _At last. _

The first few weeks at Hogwarts had been surprisingly eventful. Umbridge had wafted around the school trimming and pruning it here and there. She had even interviewed most of the teachers. I assumed that Fudge had told her to do this, seeing as when she had done this, a few days later Fudge had declared her High Inquisitor. _Whatever that's supposed to be._

One thing was for certain. The teachers of Hogwarts were not happy about Umbridge. Apparently she had done something to one of the students, something inhumane. I snorted. _It's likely that nothing happened. The Ministry doesn't want to get its hands dirty. That's why that oaf Fudge won't admit that He's back._

But it was plainly obvious that she was slowly taking over the school, one classroom at a time. I had recently contacted my father about this and he had told me to do what was always expected of me. To stay on top. _I think he knows something about Umbridge. Maybe he knows what she's planning._

But what was mainly on my mind was my own task. I'd been thinking of ways that I could kill Dumbledore. Facing him in single combat was foolish – I wouldn't last ten seconds on a good day. No it'd have to be something different, sneakier…

"Hey, Draco."

Pansy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She was sitting across from me, pouring herself a glass of Pumpkin Juice. I could see the rest of the school behind her, seated at the four long tables of The Great Hall.

"Yes?"

"This is for you." She produced a letter from her pocket and handed it to me. The wax seal was pink, and displayed a cat curled up in front of a large quill. The cat lifted its head to look at me, and then returned it to the ground, apparently disinterested. _Umbridge._

"She handed it to me after class yesterday. She told me to give it to you."

I nodded and opened the letter.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

It would be greatly appreciated if you were to visit me, at any time of course. I would like to speak with you and your most trusted colleagues. I assure you that it will only take up a minute of your time.

Hoping to see you soon,

Professor Dolores Umbridge.

Signed:

High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge.

_Interesting… very interesting._

"What does it say?" Pansy asked sweetly.

I folded the note and placed it in my pocket. "Umbridge wants to see us," I said as I scanned the hall for any sign of pink. She was nowhere in sight.

"Why?" Pansy asked, a seductive grin spreading across her face. Ever since I'd talked to her about Ryuu she'd become much more clingy – following me around, finding any excuse to put her hand on my shoulder or lean against me in crowds. I hadn't yet bothered to tell her I wasn't interested.

"We'll soon find out."

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We moved through the halls in the usual fashion.

I was at the head, with Crabbe and Goyle behind me. Pansy followed them, in a line with Zabini and Reeah. Next was Nott. He preferred to stand by himself. After him were the others. They were a mixture of all ages and genders, and had yet to prove themselves. They were the Outer Circle.

We turned a corner to see an excessive amount of people in the hallway. Crabbe and Goyle automatically moved to the front and we sliced our way through the crowds. People parted so that we could walk through, and I smirked as a group of first years jumped into a classroom when they glimpsed the towering figures of Crabbe and Goyle.

Eventually we found our way to a large door. A red haired boy from the Outer Circle – Bryce Connolly – stepped forward and opened it for me. He then silently retreated, his job done.

We moved along once more, pushing people out of our way into the rainy courtyard. A few of them opened their mouths to protest, but with a cold glare from Pansy, they didn't dare to complain.

We slithered past a portrait of a giraffe to hear the loud cries of Sir Cadogan. "_Ah! I see you Slytherins are up and about early today. Must be all the adrenaline in your veins I presume. The lust for adventure and honour!"_

Wordlessly, Nott flicked his wand at a velvet curtain secured above the painting and it fell over the portrait, covering Sir Cadogan and muffling his frustrating pleas for assistance. We shared a snigger and a laugh vibrated through the group before we moved onwards.

We were getting closer to Umbridge's office now. The crowds were lessening, so Crabbe and Goyle moved back to their original position, allowing me to be seen by onlookers. Most people averted their eyes, afraid to pose any form of challenge towards us.

Finally, the dyed pink door of Umbridge's office stood in front of us, and I knocked.

"Enter."

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It was rather cramped for all twelve of us to be in Umbridge's office. The Inner Circle (which consisted of Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Nott, Zabini, Reeah and I) had all received chairs. The Outer Circle, however, stood. Most of them leant against the walls or cabinets. A few of them had to stand outside the door.

"Right then. Thank you Mr. Malfoy for agreeing to visit me today." Umbridge began in a formal tone that I had heard people use many times before.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Professor?" I asked in the politest voice I could muster. Father had always said that it was a matter of upmost importance that I always act accordingly around people who work at the Ministry. Especially people with higher rank. The Malfoy name was very influential in the wizarding world, and it was only expected that I live up to it.

"I wish to ask a request of you," she proclaimed, "if you are willing to accept."

I stared directly at her, keeping my position in direct eye-level to her. _She has power and so do I. It is only wise that we both show ourselves as having equal dominance. _She had asked us here today, and obviously needed our help. Already she was showing herself to be more powerful than I, by ordering me around. Of course, the Ministry had the most influence, but she should never forget that I controlled Slytherin.

She continued. "I expect that there will soon be rebellion occurring at this school…" Several members of the Outer Circle looked at each other with confusion etched on their faces. "…Hogwarts will change to reach its maximum potential. Cornelius has warned me that some will not appreciate the sentiment."

She waited for me to say something, and when I didn't she focused her attention on Pansy.

"Miss Parkinson."

Pansy flicked her hair behind her neck. "Yes?"

"Would you say that Slytherin work as a team?"

"Of course."

"And what about an individual of Slytherin?"

"…Pardon?"

Umbridge smiled. "Does a singular Slytherin act to benefit personal gain, or for the good of their house?"

Pansy appeared flustered. I could see that she hadn't understood what Umbridge was saying. "Both." I cut in to Umbridge's surprise. "Without a strong house, Slytherin is fragile and has no influence in the school. So yes, in that retrospect we do work as what one might call a pack. However, we are not fools. If the situation arises we know that its every man for himself."

I hadn't even realised that I had observed this truth until I had said it out loud. Pansy was looking at me now as if I had just saved her from a burning building. Umbridge's smile widened. "Lovely." she said simply. I felt many of the occupants in the room nodding their heads in agreement. If it was one thing that both the Circles possessed, it was Slytherin Pride.

"This is exactly why Cornelius has told me that it is prudent to depend on Slytherin." she continued, the pink bow on her hat bobbing, "Well, that is all for today. I assure you that I will be seeing you all again soon enough."

A chorus of: "Thanks" and "Have a nice day" filled the room as we filed out. I sensed that she still had more to say, so I lingered at the back of the group.

"Oh, and Mr. Malfoy?"

I turned to see her looking up at me. Her eyes were searching, calculating, and I wondered if she had been in Slytherin. A silence blanketed the space between us as she lifted her chin slightly."Good day." I nodded, exiting the room and thinking that her statement meant a lot more than it seemed.

As I left I puzzled over the interaction for a moment, thinking about what Umbridge wanted Slytherin for. She'd spoken of rebellion, but did that mean in the school or the Ministry? Staff or students? What was more important was what I'd said about Slytherin. The realisation had done more than please Umbridge and win a truce.

It had given me an idea.

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Ryuu

I was surprised to see that Harry was the absent from this TFT meeting. _Dammit. _I had to stop using that term. "Where is he?" I asked.

"Sleeping. He had Quidditch practise all day; and also he's been losing his temper…" Hermione didn't need to explain any further.

I quickly went through what I'd seen when I'd followed Draco's group that morning. "They went to Umbridge's office because Draco received a letter from her. They were in there for about five minutes or so, but I knew I couldn't risk listening at the door. I wouldn't have been able to escape fast enough."

Ron tilted his head. "Why would Umbridge send Draco a request like that? Why not just talk to him after class? This has got to be something important."

"Well _obviously_, Ron." Hermione retorted.

Ron lowered his chin slightly, looking cut. I made a whipped gesture and sound effect, and Hermione, recognising the notion began to laugh, harder than I expected. There was still a bit of awkward tension between myself and the trio. After all, they were Gryffindors and I was a Slytherin – it was in our nature to conflict. Mainly I found them annoying at times and some of their plans stupid. I think they thought I was a bit detached and cold, particularly since the incident at Grimmauld Place. We weren't the kind of people that would have naturally become friends. However, the more I worked with Harry, Ron and Hermione, the more I came to appreciate them. Talking to them became easy. I felt myself begin to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ron said, ears going pink.

"It's a muggle thing," I said. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Well what does it mean?" Ron straightened. Hermione cleared her throat, still smiling and explained the meaning of being metaphorically 'whipped.' When she'd finished, Ron nodded and grinned. "Alright then…_Wwcchhhhh." _

In Ron's attempt to copy the gesture, he forgot he was holding his wand. As he flicked his wrist in the movement, a stinging jinx cracked against Hermione's leg and she gasped in shock._"Ron!"_

Ron's face split in shock and guilt. He placed his hand on her leg, thought better of it and quickly removed it as Hermione gave him a surprised look. "Oh! Sorry Hermione!"

There was a silence as Hermione rubbed her leg, to relieve the pain._"Bad-um-chhh." _I said as I mimicked the movements of a drummer. Hermione, again the only one understanding my jibe laughed at Ron's confused face.

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	9. Chapter 9 - Princess

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Ooh, there are fun times in this chapter… hope you like it.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 9 – Princess

Draco

There she was again, walking down the hallway. She was alone, but that didn't seem to sway her confidence. She walked past me, lazing her eyes over the windows opposite where I stood and rounded a corner to leave my sight. Ryuu, the beautiful blonde girl who I'd forgotten for so long. Ryuu, the enigma that haunted my thoughts. Ryuu, the mudblood. But there had to be something I was missing. Something she could explain to me. _Who is she? _I was on the edge of ranting.

"Um - Draco?"

There it was again, Pansy's whining voice. I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes. Because we were alone, her attention was even more focused on me than usual, so she would've noticed. "Yeah?"

Her tone seemed to waver slightly. "What are you doing?"

I met her gaze, her eyes were furious and her mouth was fixed in a taut line. "I'm sitting on a bench."

She didn't seem to find this funny. Instead, her expression flickered dangerously. "You were just looking at It weren't you?!"

I couldn't be bothered to cover my tracks. "…Yes."

She slapped her hands down onto her lap. "Dammit Draco! Could you imagine what would've happened to you if Theo or Blaise saw that?!"

I considered her sentiment. She had a point. If anyone ever found out I'd so much as spoken to Ryuu it would put a serious blemish on my name. My mind had been careless lately – thinking too much about how I could break into Snape's storeroom. Because my goal was more important than Pansy's petty concerns. Slytherin was under my thumb I didn't need to worry about their loyalty to me. Maybe that's why I was so fixated on Ryuu. Because I didn't know anything about her. She was the one person in Slytherin who was astray – the one person I didn't know if I could control. _Who is she? _

I frowned, annoyed. "What do you want from me Pansy?" She appeared taken aback and her cheeks blushed red. It was unusual that I would address her so directly, and so bluntly. I quickly rephrased my question. "Do you want to say something to me?"

Slowly, she responded, eyes downcast. "…Yes."

I waited patiently for a few seconds before speaking. "Well, go on then." There was a long pause. She traced the outside of her palm with her index finger as she looked out the window. I could tell that she sensed my impatience because she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Do you… _like_ It Draco?"

I opened my mouth to scold her on her idiocy and then stopped briefly. Her words circling through my head. I turned to face her. "Don't be a fool."

Her face brightened and she leaned against me, cradling her head into my neck, ignorant to the fact that I hadn't been speaking to her at all.

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Ryuu

_Today is my day off. _I thought with relish as I sunk into the comfortable embrace of my bed. I had been working non-stop for three weeks. Not just with school, but with Order work as well. There's something about using a Chameleon Charm to stalk Millicent Bullstrode for three hours that really wears a girl out. Plus, the constant eavesdropping, sneaking into the girl's dormitories to rummage through their luggage, and in general appearing totally non-chalant, really put the pressure on sometimes. Relaxing in the Slytherin Common Room and admiring the art, but really watching the movements of the Circles that ruled Slytherin. Stalking Draco continuously, almost wherever he went. Unfortunately, I'd hardly spoken to him since I arrived at Hogwarts, which frustrated me. He was the main part of my mission after all. A part of me thought that maybe I should feel guilty, that I was betraying all these people.

But they'd already betrayed me. Right from the very beginning. I owed them nothing, and that's all they'd get from me. That, and a huge 'screw you' from behind their backs.

_But that doesn't matter now, because today is my day off._

Dusk sprang up and sat next to me, purring. "Hello," I said. "come here often?"

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head as if he was saying: _You're seriously going to talk to me?_

I shrugged and looked around my room. My homework was complete and piled neatly upon my desk. I had recently tidied my dormitory, so it looked like it had when I had first seen it. My bookshelf was annoyingly bare except for some academically approved novels.

_Today is my day off. I have nothing to do, so now I am bored. Wonderful._

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Draco

_She's a muggleborn._

_But she's different._

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Ryuu

With a small struggle I shrugged my coat over my shoulders, feeling the material brush over my arm, which tingled uncomfortably. If I had an entire day to spare, I wanted to catch up with the Flock. I grinned at my nickname for the group. It was true that we were a flock of black sheep. Luna, the illogical Ravenclaw. Zacharias, the negative Hufflepuff. Dennis, the cowardly Gryffindor. Then me, the muggleborn Slytherin. _Oh yes. We're quite a team._

I gave Dusk a pat goodbye and began to walk down the stairwell leading to the Common room. I'd just stepped off the last stair when suddenly I was interrupted by a silky voice from in front of me.

"Good morning Ryuu." Draco said, looking at me directly in the eye.

"Good morning…" I replied half surprised.

"Can I please ask that you tell your cat to stay out of my room? He's kind of made it his second home, and…well…I don't think he likes me very much."

I smiled. "Sure."

"Thanks." His eyes fleeted over me before he walked away towards the couches in the centre and sat down. As his quill began to scratch over the parchment on the table in front of him, I frowned. Something about him had seemed different. I just couldn't put my finger on it… but it looked like my day off was over.

I turned on my heel and climbed back up the stairs, into my room, shrugged off my coat, grabbed the closest book off my shelf and hurried back down. Applying my casual mask I approached, plonking myself down on the lounge opposite him. I idly flicked through the pages of _Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them _and stopped on page 394. I pretended to be paying close attention to the words in front of me, whilst listening intently to the sound of Draco's quill sliding across parchment.

"Catching up on some work?" he asked.

I looked up innocently. "Oh yes. You actually reminded me that I had to read this…" I let the sentence hang in the air. It made it sound more like I was distracted by my book. He smirked. I tried to count how many times I had seen him pull that exact smirk. I didn't even get close.

"My parents will kill me if I don't do well in my OWLs." Draco said casually.

"Yeah, mine too. I guess because they're so successful, they want me to be the same." I said, honestly, my eyes actually soaking in the words on the page before me. '_Usually, the most vulnerable part of a dragon is their eyes…' _

As if sensing the next few seconds, I felt my heart sink before Draco said the words. "So, what do your parents do?"

The question was so casual. So innocent. A person with nothing to hide wouldn't think anything of it. But I did have something to hide. I cursed myself for being so stupid. I allowed him to lull me into a feeling of trust in a matter of seconds! How humiliating! How stupid. I then cursed Newt Scamander and his damn interesting book for distracting me.

Time was running out. He was waiting for a reply. _Shit! What do I say?!_ If he found out that I was a muggleborn, it would be all the more harder to get information out of him. But if I lied, and he asked me more about them, I wouldn't know how to respond quick enough.I wriggled my toes. _So it's either I lie to him, get caught and make him distrust me or I tell the truth and he hates me. _What if there was an ulterior motive? What if he already knew and was just trying to screw with me? My mind raced, and for the first time in my life I found it immensely difficult to hold a poker face.

_No matter which option I choose, it's going to be a lot harder to gather information. _

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Draco

She stiffened. I knew I was being a bastard, but I just wanted to see what she would say. A few more seconds passed before she spoke.

"My father's a photographer."

_She told the truth._

"Oh. Like for a newspaper?" I said, thinking of _The Daily Prophet. _

"He takes pictures, but not for the media. It's his job as an artist. He's really very good; world renowned actually. He travels all the time." She was speaking fast, nervously. I didn't know much of muggle cameras, but I figured that they couldn't be that different from wizarding ones. Except of course, that photos in the wizarding world could move.

She shifted uncomfortably. "My mother's a Doctor." There was another silence before she grinned. "You don't know what that is, do you?"

_Clever. I had just outwitted her and now she was making me look like a fool. _I shook my head and she explained. "She helps people medically. Diagnoses them with illnesses, prescribes them to treatments. One of her main focuses is mental health."

"…So she's like a Healer?"

"Exactly." She replied, her hands were clasped on her book and I could see that her knuckles were white. "But, not quite. She can't exactly open people up and perform surgery on them, but she's trained in cleaning wounds and healing bone fractures."

I went through this in my head. The muggle world was complicated. There was so much work for such simple things. _But, I suppose that's what you have to do when you don't have magic. _"So your parents are muggles." I said awkwardly, even though I knew she was aware of the position I'd put her in.

"Yes." She nodded to herself and straightened. I admired her self-assurance. She had just admitted to _her_ blood status in front of _me, _without flinching or looking the least bit ashamed.

It was then that she raised an eyebrow. "So what do your parents do?"

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Ryuu

_He didn't freak out. _

_Why the hell didn't he freak out?!_

_Why the hell am I freaking out, if he didn't freak out?!_

"My father is the head of the Malfoy Industries. My mother is the Lady of Malfoy Manor." He said this smoothly, easily. It sounded like he had said it a thousand times.

_There's no time for that, now Ryuu. He's talking about his parents._

"Malfoy Industries?" I said, feeling my ears prickling.

He smirked. "Yes. We're world renowned and travel quite a lot actually."

"Is that so?" I said, unsure of whether he was mocking me, or telling the truth. _I think it's both… _He nodded and lowered his head to his work. But I wasn't finished yet.

"So, your parents are wizards." I said, copying his method.

His eyes wavered slightly, as if he was remembering something, but his mouth curved in an amused smile. "Yes."

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_He's…different. _

We talked for a long time about what may have seemed to be nothing in particular. I harvested a lot of information from him though. But it seemed to me that he was actually a little interested in muggles. He concealed his intrigue well, but I could tell that a part of him really didn't know much about the muggle world at all.

I'd learned more about Malfoy Industries. It really was world renowned. Draco's father had companies all over the planet and he managed them. Draco explained it to me using a lot of big words and wizard jargon, but I still found it difficult to fully comprehend what Draco's father actually did. From what I could gather, Malfoy Industries was international, they owned a ridiculous amount of money and somehow earned more by the minute, and people from all over the world, rich and poor, powerful and average citizens, wizards and muggles, owed them debts. Draco also seemed to imply that his family had a slight influence on the Ministry and the Royal Family, but I thought this might have been a fib.

I had also been interested to learn about his mother. The Order hadn't had a lot of information about Narcissa Malfoy, because during the war she had stayed behind the had explained that she was the Lady of Malfoy Manor. The title made it sound like such an honour, but it didn't sound like his mother actually did anything, except be seen by others. Draco's family reminded me of a medieval courtroom. _Maybe Draco literally is the Prince of Slytherin…_

Conversation continued to pour from our lips. It was so much easier to talk to him, now that he knew of my parents. _Why is he not disgusted? _As far as I knew Draco had always hated muggleborns, as a matter of prejudice. _So, why?_

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Draco

She was like a refreshing shock.

I had been raised with the belief that muggleborns were unworthy of any good fortune they received. And until I had met Ryuu, it had appeared that way. But the thing that fascinated me was that she was so incredibly… _Slytherin. _It was so strange, considering that Slytherins were literally born and bred to be placed into their house by their families. _So how did a muggleborn get in?_

My mother had often told me that when I was very young, if I became interested in something, I would not relinquish my fascination over it until I had figured it out completely. Of course, this had always been an easy endeavour – minus a few exceptions – because of the simplicity of magic. However, no matter how hard I tried, Ryuu simply stumped me.

I had no choice. I was going to have to ask her out to lunch.

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Ryuu

We had long ago discarded our studying implements. Our chat was blooming. It was so interesting talking to Draco. I had never noticed before that he was actually quite witty. _This is great. _For the past few days I'd barely been able to make contact with him, and now I was speaking more words to him than I had to any other Slytherin in my life. _This is good for the mission, _I reminded myself. It was only when my watch told me it was past lunchtime that I realised Draco was flirting with me.

_…_

_…Um …what?_

It wasn't particularly what he was saying, but rather the way he was saying it. His smirk appeared once or twice as well. _Oh gosh. What now? What would Hermione do? She knows everything, right? _I didn't know how to respond so I just kept smiling and nodding, all the while cursing myself for not coming up with a plan. It's not like no one had ever flirted with me before – just not like this. In this situation. Draco. My casual laugh at his joke ended a bit abruptly as I realised how awkward this was. There was a silence before Draco spoke.

"Ryuu, do you want to go to lunch some time?"

_Say something. Now._

"What?"

_Say something better._

Draco looked a little 'whipped', but then regained his confidence. "Would you like me to take you out to lunch some time?" he said this slowly, but not in the condescending way that Umbridge used. I was suddenly aware of how alone we were. He had chosen his spot well. Now I couldn't feign that I thought I could hear someone calling out to me in the distance.

I let my features look real. It was relaxing after all the time I spent perfecting each of my expressions so that I wouldn't give anything away. "Why?" I said simply.

Draco looked taken aback.

"I mean," I began, "why me?"

He smirked. That alone was enough. I shook my head, standing from the lounge and picking up my book from the table. "You know what I mean. I'm a muggle born…and you're…you're the _Prince of Slytherin!_" I said, only realising how dumb that sounded after the words had come out of my mouth.

He stood as well, retaining the imprint of the smirk on his face. "Prince huh?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Obviously he hadn't heard this expression before and I got the feeling that I had just fed his ego. "Well maybe you're my Princess."

I stared at him. "Did you seriously just use the Princess line on me?"

Both eyebrows jerked upwards this time, twice, in quick succession.

"Well…" I admitted, "it might be working."

He moved back to his belongings, piling them into his bag before meeting my gaze again. He studied me for a moment, and then spoke, his words dripping with arrogance. "Wednesday. The Hogsmeade Trip. That's when I'll take you out to lunch."

He winked before he turned away.

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A/N: Really Ryuu? All it took was a little book to distract you enough to end up telling Draco you're a mudblood? *Sigh…*


	10. Chapter 10 - Exploring The Original Baby

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: And I'm back! So sorry for the delay, my muggle technology was screwing up. Well, here's the next chapter – one of my personal favourites. Enjoy! :)

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 10 – Exploring The Original Baby

Ryuu

On Monday, I found a small, ordinary looking note on my pillowcase.

**MEETING. **

**TONIGHT. **

**THE USUSAL PLACE. **

**THE USUSAL TIME. **

_Shame on you, Ronald Weasley. _I thought as a smile crept across my face. Scribbled in the corner was a pure white ferret, the letters TFT written on its abdomen.

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This time, the three of them beat me to the Great Hall."Sorry I'm late, I ran into Peeves." I lied. I hopped up onto a table and sat next to Hermione. This time Ron had brought along four boxes of chocolate frogs. I grabbed one and began to open it.

Harry got straight to the point, eyes two green flames. "Umbridge is taking over the school." It was true, Umbridge was walking around Hogwarts like she owned the place. I'd seen her waddling through the corridors like a rosy pin cushion with legs. _If only I could jab a needle into her._

She'd recently started creating new rules as well. There was to be no 'time wasting' in-between classes. I would've thought this rule understandable, except for Umbridge's definition of time wasting. Apparently, just walking slowly was a crime. Poor Neville Longbottom had been yelled at for holding up a crowd because he was still getting the hang of manoeuvring with crutches. The staff were also being tested. Barely a day went by where the toad wasn't lingering at the back of the classroom, interrupting the lesson with her absurd fake cough and piping out absurd questions about the Professor's teaching methods _and_ personal lives. ("Excuse my intrusion Professor Flitwick; but you're parents were both wizards, were they not?" she'd asked as her sharp gaze flitted up and down Flitwick's small form. Bigot.) I hated it of course, but held my tongue. The faded scars on my arm still tingled.

I absently noticed that my wizard card displayed the sour face of Herpo The Foul. "I know. But the problem is, what are we going to do?"

Both of the boys looked at Hermione who went into a thorough explanation about what the Order had told them. "…And I was thinking, if Fudge thinks that Dumbledore's making some sort of wizard army against him, then maybe we should do just that." She finished with a smile.

I did a sideways nod. "Sounds brilliant."

Ron nodded. "That's what I thought."

Harry sat down next to me on the table. "The problem is, they want me to teach everyone Defensive magic."

I stared at him evenly, noticing with a touch of confusion the lines of worry around his mouth. "Sounds brilliant," I repeated brightly.

Ron nodded again. "That's what I-"

"Well it's not." Harry cut in. "Everyone at school thinks I'm a nutter. Why would they want to learn anything from me?" His voice had raised and he was snarling.

Suddenly there was a strange fluttering noise from above. We froze and my hand flashed to my wand, but as I looked up it was only to see a bat swooping across the ceiling. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and Ron broke the tension, with an amicable shrug. "Look at it this way, Harry. You can't be worse than the pink toad." he said reassuringly.

"Gee, thanks Ron."

"No problem mate."

I turned my head to look at Harry. "Just don't even think about it. The point is, they need a teacher and they know it. And if anyone is going to teach them, it's going to be you." I considered if I should eat the leg off my chocolate frog, but it was still squirming in my fingers so I released it. I'd never really had the stomach or the heart to eat those things. I turned back to see that Harry still didn't look to convinced so I forced what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Look, they may think you're a little crazy – but this world's a little crazy, and Umbridge is a lot crazy, and I'd rather be learning from a semi-trusted madman than a completely insane stranger. Plus, you're only a nutter if you're wrong."

Ron stared at me. "Wow, Ryuu. Since when did you get so wise?"

I scoffed. "Wisdom is the ideal of fools. All you need to learn anything about life is intuition. Or power, if that's how you like to do things."

There was a pause in which Ron tilted his head, considering my words and Hermione smiled slightly, before narrowing her eyes and continuing on. "So, have you got any more news?" she said as she twisted a brown curl through her fingers.

"Well…" I began, taking a deep breath and mentally cringing, "Draco…kind of - asked me out on a date."

To my shock, Harry cursed and handed five sickles to a jubilant Ron, who pumped a fist in the air and said: "Got you this time, Harry!" Hermione threw him a glare, and Ron's grin sank.

"What the-! You were betting on this?!" I gasped, my mouth hanging open.

The boys exchanged a guilty glance before Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah…"

"But _how_- how did you know that he'd ask me out?!" I'd never heard myself sound so shrill.

Ron pocketed the silver coins. "Oh come on, Ryuu. Everyone knows that Malfoy has a thing for blondes… personally, I'm more into brunettes myself." At this, I saw Hermione bite her lip. I couldn't completely tell in the darkness, but it looked like the tops of her cheeks reddened slightly. Ron however, noticed nothing.

I focused my attention on the boy seated next to me. "What do you think Harry?"

"Oh, um-" he stuttered, looking away shyly, "you're great Ryuu- but I really just think of you as a friend…"

"I _mean_; about the blonde theory!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh. Right. Well, err…" his eyes searched for help and locked on Hermione, who answered his unspoken call. "I don't think that that's the _only_ reason Malfoy has taken a fancy to Ryuu…" she began weakly.

"Can we stop talking about this now? Malfoy's a creepy guy and I don't really want to think about what goes on in his head." Ron added, shifting uncomfortably.

"Agreed," said Harry.

Hermione spoke directly to them. "I don't suppose that either have you have considered that Malfoy's interest in Ryuu consists of more than appearances?"

The two boys looked at each other, frowned and spoke in precise unison. "No."

Hermione rolled her eyes. _"Boys…" _she muttered, mostly to herself.

I took this opportunity to voice my concerns. "So, what do I do?"

Ron's blue eyes met mine. "Well go along with it of course! Can you imagine the things you could find out if you were Draco's girlfriend?"

"I'm not sure I want to imagine," I whispered to no one in of them were staring at me now. Harry and Ron appeared indifferent, Hermione however was frowning slightly."What do you think?" I asked, hoping that she wouldn't agree.

She leaned against the wall opposite me, and tapped the heel of her left shoe onto the top of her right. "It's wrong to take advantage of other people's feelings… however; it's important for the mission." She nodded, as if she was convincing this to herself. "Besides, this is Malfoy we're talking about. And… frankly he deserves it." Hermione said this last part in a sinister tone that I'd never heard her use before. Her eyes stared at me unblinkingly for a moment before falling to the floor.

I'd never fully realised just how much Hermione hated Draco.

As usual, Ron sealed the meeting, and we parted ways. As I sneaked around the shadows of the castle, I went over and over what had just occurred in my mind, still a little shocked at what all three of them had said. _This is not going to end well, _I couldn't help but think.

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"Um- Ryuu!"

Dennis smiled as I turned to face him. "Yeah?" I said, making sure that Draco was out of sight.

"I err- wanted to ask you something…"

"Go ahead." I rifled through my bag, pulling out _Star Maps: Your Fate Is Above You _as we passed a suit of armour that was polishing its shield. Dennis and I were in the same Divination class, so we always walked together on the way. It was fun having Divination with Dennis. I'd taken the subject out of interest in third year, and was somehow still stuck with it in my timetable. I didn't agree with the entire premise – predicting the future, why would anyone want to know? And plus, Trelawney's methods were total crap. I'd never heard her give an accurate prediction. But my constant sarcastic remarks during class made Dennis laugh, and when Dennis was happy and laughing, he even cracked a few jokes as well.

"Well, um- a lot of Gryffindors are meeting up secretly at the Hogs Head tomorrow-"

I clapped my hand over his mouth. "Shhh! Quieten your voice, Den!" I whispered as I flung my gaze to see if anyone had heard. They hadn't.

I released my hold, both of us apologizing in synchronisation. Dennis shuffled his feet, glancing up at me. "Err- do you know about it?"

I didn't like lying to my friends. "Of course I do. I overheard Ernie McMillan talking about it in the Prefect's Common Room. He said Potter was up to something."

"So… um… are you going?" There was a gleam in his eyes that I hadn't seen before.

_No. I'll be on my date with Draco Malfoy._

"…I don't know. People might not want _me_ there, because I'm a Slytherin…"

"Oh…" His expression of eagerness seemed to slip slightly and I quickly burst out a response.

"But I definitely think you should go!" I said brightly.

"Me? Really?" I could see that he was nervous about breaking the rules.

"Yeah. I'm sure you'd enjoy it." I actually didn't know how Dennis would react to a secret rebellion of Defensive magic, but I knew that I wanted him to do it. _Maybe we all need to know how to protect ourselves…_ I thought, thinking of Umbridge.

A strand of sandy hair fell into his eyes as he grinned shyly. "O-okay then! I will."

"Good." I nodded and started walking again. As Dennis hurried to catch up, I smiled. _Yes, Dumbledore's Army will be good for him._

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Draco

Wearing two jackets was surprisingly uncomfortable; but necessary. My father had told me that girls always get cold. So it was immensely annoying to see that Ryuu, who was strolling along beside me, didn't appear cold in the slightest. Not even the smallest shiver shook her shoulders.

"Are you cold?" I asked, keeping my tone as polite as possible.

Her green gaze scrolled over me, narrowing on the strange bulk in my torso. "…No."

_Dammit. _"Are you sure? You can borrow my jacket."

She smiled. "I'm fine. Really." I turned my head to the side to release my grimace. _Looks like I'm going to have to wear two jackets._

"So where are we going?" she chirped. She stumbled slightly in the snow, but regained her balance. The snow wasn't too heavy, but because of the grey cloud cover it looked like it was going to get windier.

"To lunch."

"…And where will be having lunch?"

"A restaurant. Or a café', or bistro… whatever you want to call it." I searched the street for a place to dine. I hadn't made any plans in particular and was actually just hoping for the best.

Sighing, she turned her head to face me. "Am I going to get any specific answers out of you?"

"That depends." I replied smartly.

She rolled her eyes.

As we rounded a corner a teahouse came into view. It was toppled onto the side of a hill and had a paved pink roof, each single looking the scale of a salmon. Steam protruded from four chimneys scattered higgledy piggledy around the building. Patterned curtains were drawn across the windows and outside the front two flamingos stood sentry to the door, looking a sickly faded colour in this weather. Painted on the roof were two words in sprawling, curly letters.

Madam Puddifoot's

"So is this the restaurant/cafe'/bistro we will be eating at?" she queried.

I glanced at her, smirking. "Apparently so."

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Ryuu

As we passed the two flamingos, the one on the left remarked in a rather rude drawling voice: "Another couple I presume."

"Well, umm…" I cast Draco a sketchy glance as the flamingo eyed me with pupils like yellow bullets.

The flamingo had made a sound that could have been a sigh and absently waved his wing towards the door. "Go inside and ask for a table for two. I trust you won't find it _that_ difficult."

_Bastard, _I thought as we walked up the steps. I was beginning to understand my mother's dislike of birds. Draco gentlemanly opened the door and I walked in ahead of him…

…into my nightmare.

The room was insanely pink with frilly bows and lace lining the walls, furniture and anything that was in the space; including the people. The teashop was extremely cramped and I instinctively backed into the doorway, where I could feel the chilly air stab my cheeks. Steam blanketed the room, so that everything appeared to be an amorphous of thousands of shades of pink. Every now and then the haze cleared to show a table with a couple sitting, looking googily into each other's eyes. Almost every chair was occupied and the customers, smiles stitched on their faces, sipped from their teacups. _All at the same time… _I shuddered.

"What do you think?" asked Draco, his face twitching.

"I think…" I began, staring at the scene in front of me in amazement. "…Umbridge and a building had a baby, but then it didn't turn out the way they wanted it to; so they adopted a new one and made it _this."_

Draco's laugh choked on the steam as he led me outside.

The snow had gotten thicker very quickly. Already, most people were clearing the streets and seeking warmth. To my amusement the rude door flamingos were looking rather displeased as more and more snow began to fall, coating them in white flakes so they looked as if they'd been sprinkled in sugar. I wondered briefly how Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing in recruiting people for Dumbledore's Army, then quickly deterred my mind from that as if fearful that Draco could read my thoughts.

This time he insisted on lending me his jacket and I was quite glad that he did. It was only as we made our way back to the main street that I noticed something peculiar, and barely hid my smirk. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you wearing two jackets?"

He raised his eyebrows, as if surprised by my question. "What?"

I stopped and stared at him, nodding to reassure myself. "You were definitely wearing two jackets."

"No, I wasn't." He looked down at his torso and ran his hands down the front of his coat.

I pointed at him, a smile seeping across my face. I couldn't believe that his boyish charm was actually working. "Yes you were! You just gave me one and you've still got one on now."

Again, he looked down at his chest and his expression morphed into one of shock. He feigned a tone of exclamation. "Oh! It appears I _was _wearing two jackets… how odd…"

"Hmm… yes it is very peculiar," I said teasingly, "So Draco; I don't suppose you wore two jackets so that you could give me one without getting cold yourself?"

He frowned, and tilted his head upwards, considering this. "Such a fine day for an outing…" he said mischievously, changing the subject. I laughed, and he joined in. For a moment there was a silence as I considered Draco's random act of chivalry –or was it selfishness?- before the smooth sound of his voice interrupted my thoughts.

"So where do _you_ want to go?"

I looked around. We were now standing in the middle of Hogsmeade, outside of the Post Office. Honeydukes was just behind us, with Zonko's Joke Shop further down the street. Students flooded both buildings. Shouldn't go in there. I was already risking it now, being seen with him. The ever present shadow of Hogwarts loomed over us and I allowed my eyes to search the areas outside the village. Instantly, I saw the dark silhouette of The Shrieking Shack and my curiosity stirred. The building's silhouette was so mysterious, so… tempting.

"I think I know a place."

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Draco

_She's mad._ I thought as I reluctantly entered the haunted grounds of the Shrieking Shack. Even though I tried to repress them, nightmares from my childhood crept into my mind. It was common knowledge that horrible things had happened within the Shrieking Shack. Disappearances, murder… some folk said that there used to be screams during the night of a full moon.

However, as I approached the building, my childhood imaginings dwindled. It was smaller than I had presumed, but tall. The walls groaned in the wind, and they looked like they could crumble upon the smallest impact. The timber had a dank grey pallor. Something about the shack looked old and sickly; probably the jaunty angle the building leaned on, almost as if it was exhausted. It certainly wasn't the looming building it appeared to be from a distance. From here, the Shrieking Shack looked more like an old shed.

"_Alohomora."_ I said, and the large padlock on the door opened with a profound _click. _

I quickly entered, surprised to feel warm air inside. It was also strangely large. From the outside, the building had appeared no larger than a broom cupboard, but from within the room's dimensions were noticeably bigger. _It's probably an area illusion._

A gust of cold air breathed from behind me and as I turned, I realised I was alone. Ryuu hadn't moved from the doorway. "…You coming in?" I asked.

Her head peered into the room and she gasped, her eyes widening. Ryuu quickly retreated, stepping back a few paces from the doorway, biting her lip. "Could you open the window first?"

"What, you afraid of the dark?" I sniggered.

She threw me a look of scorn. "Could you please just do it?"

I folded my arms over my chest, amused. "So you're just going to start bossing me around now?"

"Please Draco." Her expression changed slightly. I noticed her hands were balled into fists.

Sensing I'd struck a nerve, I walked over to the window. It was boarded up with planks of aging wood. _"Diffindo." _The timber snapped and broke away, and the blinding white light of the snow filled land outside spilled into the room. "Okay." I said.

She hesitantly entered the room, green eyes flickering towards the open window. Ryuu breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly. "Thank you," she said.

I leaned back into the wall beside the window, listening to the shriek of the wind outside. "You're welcome, but if you don't mind me asking -why so mysterious?"

She half smiled, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

I raised an eyebrow.

"It's _nothing_…" She repeated, frowning now.

I lowered the eyebrow and raised the other one. A reluctant grin seeped across her face, and she managed a small laugh. Watching her fluid shift between facial expressions made me smirk. I approached, and she folded her arms over her chest, smile gone and regarding me with an unwavering glare."Seriously though; that wasn't nothing," I said.

Sighing, she sat down in the light of the window and looked out at the snow covered treetops, her mouth stitched in a taut line. I joined her, waiting patiently. After a few seconds, the corners of her mouth twitched and she looked over at me, eyes shifting.

_"Fine."_ she burst out, staring up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact. When she spoke her tone was frustrated. "I'm claustrophobic."

She'd spoken so quickly that it took me a moment to decipher her words in my head. "Oh… right." I began, carefully. "And, what does that mean?"

Ryuu tapped the tips of her fingers against her knee, one at a time, still refusing to make eye contact with me."Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces."

I felt my eyes narrow. "So, you can't be in a small room?"

She shook her head. "No, it's more complicated than that. I'm not actually sure of how small the area has to be, but I know that as long as there's a window I'm usually, okay…" I saw her eyes flicker to the window above us, and her fingers ceased their tapping. "…but, I'd still rather be in a larger space."

I sensed that this was a delicate topic, so I repeated my question in my mind a few times before saying it. "Why windows?"

Ryuu's green gaze locked on mine, face blank. "It's all psychological. My mother explained it to me when I was a child. She said that the image of a window reminds me that I can see out. It's like I remember that I can escape," she looked around the room solemnly. "I didn't realise how tight it was here until I saw it up close." As she explained, her voice became increasingly monotonous. I began to think that being claustrophobic angered her.

Although, I could tell that she was uncomfortable talking about this, I persisted. "How did you catch this?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she paused. "…Pardon?"

"Well, it's a disease right? So you caught it from someone."

Her mouth curved upwards. "Your knowledge of the muggle world really is limited, isn't it?" Ryuu stretched her legs out in front of her and looked out the window again. "Firstly, claustrophobia isn't a disease. It's a pathological fear. And no, I didn't _catch_ it; I developed it. It triggered in my mind when I was six years old…" she hesitated. Her eyes glazed over and her face softened. A sigh of snowflakes wafted through the window, one of them landing in her hair. She brushed it away rather irritably.

I paused, forcing my tone to be gentle. "How did you find out?"

For a long time she didn't say anything, and I cursed myself for being so rude. But when she started talking, her voice was smooth and simple, as if she was reciting instructions for potion brewing. "It was three days before Christmas and my parents and I were going out to do some late shopping. I remember I was really excited because we were going to be taking the Underground; and I'd never done that before."

"What's the Underground?" I interrupted.

"It's a network of trains underneath London. They're not like steam trains though," She added quickly when she saw my confused expression. "They run on electricity and are really fast. You can get halfway across the city in a few minutes." I didn't know much about electricity, but knew that muggles used it in excessive amounts.

"Anyway; we were waiting for our train when one came along. I assumed that this was the one we were supposed to catch, and hopped onboard. But I was wrong. Before my parents could react, the train was already leaving, and…"

I looked into her green eyes. They were narrowed, but hardly.

"… that's when the claustrophobia kicked in."

For a moment, I presumed that she wasn't going to continue, but Ryuu merely tucked a blonde curl behind her ear before resuming. "There were so many people. I've always been short for my age - and I was tiny then, so I was shoved into a corner. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't move. At one point, I couldn't breathe. I was there for hours as the train repeated its circuit again and again and again…"

"How did you get out?" I asked hesitantly.

"My parents eventually found me after the crowds had thinned. They'd searched four trains already, and had even called the police. They found me underneath one of the seats. I was curled up in a ball and crying my eyes out. They took me to a hospital, but I fainted on the way there, so I don't remember much. I've never been to the Underground since."

A silence erupted and I shifted awkwardly. _What do I do? _She wasn't crying which was a relief, because I knew that my only method of condolence was a pat on the shoulder and a: 'There there…' I admired how even when Ryuu had just told me about her vulnerabilities she kept her head high and didn't falter.

After a while, she swivelled her stare towards me. Her eyes and mouth had changed, both were now smiling – she'd quickly recovered. "So, what about you Draco?"

"What?"

She crossed her legs and spun around so that she was looking directly at my profile. Placing her elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her palm she asked, in a tone that was slightly teasing; "What are _you_ afraid of?"

I replied quickly. "Nothing." _Liar._

"Liar," Ryuu snapped.

My composure stumbled for a moment."I am no liar!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Draco. Everyone's afraid of something."

"That's because everyone else is ordinary and I'm spectacular."

A scoff escaped her lips, and she raised both hands, shrugging. "That's alright then. I understand."

My eyes narrowed at her tone. "…Understand what?"

Again, her green eyes locked onto mine, and I felt like I was being tested. "You're scared to tell me, that's all."

"Am not!" I retorted.

_"Are so!"_

"Am not! I'll tell you right now."

She smirked, voice smooth. "Go on then."

A frown twisted my face. "Well…"

"Yes?"

"Just let me finish!" I half yelled. "And _don't_ laugh at me."

Her eyebrows lowered angrily, and her voice went flat. "Don't yell at _me,_ and I won't laugh at _you."_

I sighed and apologised for raising my voice. I knew that I should be truthful. She'd just put her trust in me, and it was only polite to do the same. Quid Pro Quo again. My hand tightened over my wand as I felt her eyes on me and I sighed once more. "Well…" I began tentatively, "I'm scared of snakes."

Laughter erupted from Ryuu's mouth and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, in a futile attempt to hide her smile. _"Right…"_ she giggled.

Fuming, I stood and walked over to the shadows. Her chuckling ceased and silence shattered throughout the room. "You weren't kidding were you?" I could hear the guilt in her voice. I didn't reply.

I heard her stand and walk towards me. "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't think that you of all people-"

Her apology was interrupted by the small laugh I breathed out. The laugh grew, but not enough to block out Ryuu's annoyed exhale from over my shoulder. "Dammit, Draco. Quit messing with me."

"But it is funny, isn't it?" I said. "I mean, I'm a Slytherin Prefect, my family has been in Slytherin for centuries and my name literally translates to: _The Serpent!"_

"So why are you afraid of them?" Ryuu questioned, regarding me with a slight wariness.

I thought for a moment. "I think it's the way they move without any legs, it just creeps me out. Have you ever seen one? It's like…" I placed my arms by my side and wiggled my shoulders. It was some time before I realised how ridiculous I looked, and quickly stopped, straightened my jacket, and tugged my sleeves down.

But it was too late. A triumphant smirk practically danced on Ryuu's face and her eyes gleamed. She stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry, how does it go again?"

I sniggered. "You know what I mean."

She grinned as she retrieved her wand from my jacket and muttered, _"Lumos."_ The tip lit up in a radiant silver glow. She took a few steps towards the stairs before turning and regarding me with a glance. "You coming?"

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Ryuu

Draco walked ahead of me most of the time, opening windows here and there. I was actually surprised at how calm I was. _Well, it isn't too confined. _I could easily take three steps from wall to wall in the hallways, and the rooms are considerably larger. The added comfort of the opened windows helped too, and because there were several gaps in the wood panelling of the shack I could constantly hear the whistling sound of the wind from outside. I smirked to myself. _It sounds almost like Reeah Noseworthy._

In one room, a disturbing noise attracted us to the doorway. Inside was an obscenely large gramophone which was playing a slow broken record of twisted sounds. I tried to determine the song but the music was impossible to decipher. Draco stepped inside and held out a hand. "Care to dance?"

I crossed my arms and regarded him with something not so far away from scorn. "Sorry. I only dance on people's graves."

He smirked and took my hand in his own. "Apologies, Princess. Maybe I'll take you to a graveyard for our next date."

_Next date_? "Or the forbidden forest. Whichever's creepier." Draco ignored me and slid an arm around my waist in one smooth motion before I could react, and we began to rock from side to side. I raised an eyebrow at him, annoyed that he'd caught me off guard.

I clumsily moved my feet a tad slower than Draco's as I tried to keep in time with him. To my frustration, he found this incredibly amusing. "Weren't you there when we learned to dance for the Yule Ball?"

I grimaced at the memory. "Yes, I was actually. As you might not recall, I have been attending Hogwarts as long as you have, Draco."

His fingers twined in mine. "Who was your partner?"

I averted my eyes from his face and looked at the ground, flushing in frustration. "Professor Snape." I replied through gritted teeth.

Draco burst into laughter, which I at first despised before it became contagious. In a matter of seconds, my composure slipped and I simply laughed with him as I would with a person I was allowed to laugh with.

My feet slid next to his, vastly improved after the few minutes that we'd been dancing to the distorted tune. Our eyes locked, and I smirked privately to myself. _Well, this is a strange scenario. Dancing in a haunted house with a boy I barely know. What could possibly go wrong?_

I stopped moving, trying to ignore the intent expression on his face. I smiled at him, and pulled out of his arms. "Splendid dancing Mr Malfoy."

Draco hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "Likewise, Miss Veil."

For a moment he stared at me before I turned towards the door, my wand held at arm's length in front of me, hastily fixing my face into another mask. After an awkward silence, we moved onwards, humming the tune to ourselves as we did. The interior of the Shrieking Shack was coated in cobwebs and dampness. On some walls was a red substance that Draco and I had avoided eye contact with on several occasions.

As his footsteps echoed around the hallway, Draco spoke up from behind me. "I just realised something."

"What?" I replied, checking around a corner with the light from my wand.

"You know how you said that Umbridge and a building had a baby, but they didn't like it?"

I wondered where he was going with this. I stopped and turned to look at him. "…Yes."

"Well," Draco indicated to the frayed wallpaper beside him. "This is it. The Shrieking Shack is the original baby."

I couldn't repress a smile. "This baby is way cooler than the other one."

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A/N: Not creepy at all, walking around the most haunted building in Britain… how romantic. I do realise that in canon it's almost impossible to enter the Shrieking Shack without going through the entrance in the Whomping Willow but I changed that detail for obvious reasons.


	11. Chapter 11 - Grindylow In The Dark

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Another relatively short one. Enjoy the awkwardness of cringe-worthy, socially inept Ryuu Veil.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 11 – Grindylow In The Dark

Ryuu

The last room we came to was impossibly spacious. _There is no way that this room should fit in here, _I thought as I stood below the small, thin glass window that resided at the very top of the far wall. In the distance, I could see Hogsmeade. More people were moving about in the streets now, because the snowfall had lessened. Barren trees stood solitary around the path leading back to the village.

_"Lumos Maxima." _

Light reached to the far edges of the room, and I could see that it was a little different to the others. Carvings lined the top of the walls and all over the roof. Some of them looked like words, and others looked like scrambled attempts at patterns and symbols. A boarded up fireplace was positioned to the left of me, and fallen chairs were piled in a tower to the other side of the room. A hat stand stood behind the door like an assassin, but Draco failed to notice its presence as he walked in. I smiled. _Dad would love to take photos of this place._

I noticed Draco's eyes narrow when he saw my grin. "You're really strange Ryuu."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Strange is my middle name."

Draco made a sound in his throat that sounded like a singular laugh, unaware of the fact that I wasn't joking. "I mean, most people wouldn't enjoy strolling around haunted buildings."

I shrugged, my eyes sliding over the higgledy piggledy tower of chairs. "What's wrong with a little darkness? It's so much more interesting than the light."

We both strolled to opposite sides of the room. The white glow from the window illuminated my position, whereas Draco leaned against the hard timber of the wall, cast in shadow. He regarded me with an expression pinched with bemusement. "How so?"

I was caught off guard. I'd merely been voicing an idea."Well," I began, "If um…" He smirked, and I felt myself flush. I wasn't going to let myself look stupid in front of him, so I quickly began. "…Imagine I had a Grindylow." _Yeah, _said a voice in my head instantly, _not stupid at all…_

I could see that Draco was struggling to come up with an appropriate answer for the atrocious introduction to my explanation. "Okay…"

I desperately began to elaborate. "If I had a Grindylow in a room full of light, you'd see it for exactly what it is-"

"-a _dead_ Grindylow," Draco interrupted.

"Exactly. Wait, what?"

An eyebrow raised. "Grindylows live underwater. They can't breathe on land." He said slowly, as if explaining to a child.

I blinked. _Oh. Right… _"My point is…if I put the- dead Grindylow in a room with no light, you wouldn't be able to see it. There could be anything in the room. Darkness has so much more… depth than light does," I finished awkwardly. I'd never been good at explaining my thoughts, and I could feel an outburst similar to the one I'd rambled at Harry tickling my tongue. I suppressed it. Draco tilted his head, considering my theory. It was a tad ruined by the Grindylow part, but I knew it made sense in _my_ head. Besides, Draco seemed convinced enough.

"Well, if that's true; then you are a complete hypocrite." he said casually.

I paused, forehead furrowing in a frown. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you're talking about how great the darkness is when you are; one - _claustrophobic,"_ A finger flicked from his hand as he said this to be closely followed by another, "and two - _holding a lit wand."_

Unable to think of a witty response and annoyed that he'd commented on my claustrophobia, I slapped my arms to my side, wiggled my shoulders and hissed like a snake. Draco's eyelid twitched. "Point taken," he said. But I could still see the smugness on his face.

"Fine then." I spat and lowered my wand._"Nox." _Darkness blanketed the room, and for a moment I panicked; before my eyes snapped over to the light from the window. The outside world was just a panel of glass away. _Calm, control._ Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. "Draco?" I said to the darkness. I peered around me, seeing only shifting shadows.

I was just about to light my wand again when, out of nowhere, his lips were upon mine. My entire body froze in shock, and almost robotically, my senses heightened. Draco's right hand on my wrist – _no, he must be able to feel my pulse! _His left in my hair. My eyes blinking furiously, eyelashes brushing against his face. The light weight of my wand in my own hand. The dull sound of the wind whistling outside. The cool taste of ice. My lips on his. _Whoa, no!_ My free hand reaching up to his neck. _Stop. _His fingers twisting through a ringlet of my hair. I squeezed my eyes shut.

_No._

I pulled away, a shiver coursing through me. Draco's face was still inches from mine, and his fingers were now tracing along the edge of my cheek. I hastily stepped back, nearly crashing into the tower of chairs and lifted my wand._"Lumos."_ I gasped, clutching the handle poured from the tip, his smug grin was the first thing I saw. His eyebrows flicked upwards, in their usual dance of two jumps, before he cleared his throat and said: "Ryuu."

I opened my mouth to say something clever, feeling myself blush. "You- _you tricked me!"_

"That I did." His tone was frustratingly smooth and unwavering. "And you went along with it quite nicely."

_"…I- you-"_

"_You_ kissed me back."

My jaw opened and closed like a drunken fish. "You tricked me!" I repeated dumbly, tugging at the side of my hair and stuffing it behind my ear.

His mouth twitched in barely contained glee. "Apologies if it shocked you, Princess, but _you_ kissed me back." Draco straightened his jacket and lifted his chin in a movement of success, as if he had just won the _Manipulative Bastards Award._

I imagined steam was rocketing out from my ears. How could I have let that happen? I marched forwards, mouth set in a firm line, getting more pissed off when this only provoked a smirk from him. "Fine then." I hissed through gritted teeth. "You win. But _don't call me that."_

"Okay, Princess." He said as he lit his wand and strolled lazily towards the doorway, looking immensely pleased with himself.

I straightened, calling after him. "You laugh now, but just wait until I tell my father about this."

Like a cherry on top of my outrage sundae, Draco's laugh echoed around me.

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	12. Chapter 12 - Battling Lightning

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: There's a lot of fun stuff in this chapter.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 12 – Battling Lightning

Draco

"Where _were_ you at Hogsmeade Draco?" Pansy pined.

Several heads turned in my direction. I considered what to say. A part of me didn't want to tell them about her. But then another part of me was Ryuu's voice saying: _"What are you, ashamed of me?" _Maybe I wasn't ashamed of her. And why should I be? She was the most interesting girl in Slytherin, without a doubt, for one thing._ And… she kissed me. _I couldn't contain a smirk at that thought. It was mostly the fact that I liked her, but it was also because I'd outwitted her.

But when I looked at the Inner Circle as they sat around me, only half listening to Flitwick prattling on about bubble-head charms, reality forced itself back into place. I couldn't give up my role. My father would never forgive me if I did._ Especially if he learnt about Ryuu. _I felt a pang of dismay in my chest. _If my father learnt about Ryuu…_

I realised that Pansy was still waiting for my response. "I didn't go." I lied, which seemed to content the attention of my friends.

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Ryuu

The Room of Requirement was disappointingly empty. An immense amount of books that filled the entire right hand wall were unread and ignored. The other walls looked on sadly, reflecting the bareness of the room in an overdramatic display of mirror illusions. The richly carpeted ground only held up four seated people. Several manikins stood to the side of the room waiting for the touch of a spell or enchantment. I could feel the enveloping warmth of the large fireplace, which pinpricked the silence at inappropriate intervals with the sharp splutter of its sapphire flames. "Where is everybody?" Ron said again, his impatience flaring.

Harry checked his watch for the third time. "It's still not time yet. They could just be late…"

Hermione strolled over towards the bookshelf and slipped a particularly large book into her grip. The title read: _Defensive Spell Casting: Wand Movements. _"Well, if we're going to be here for a while, we might as well prepare ourselves for teaching." The book dropped onto the ground with a dull _thud _as Hermione returned to her cross legged position on the floor.

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and didn't move towards the book at all. "That's bloody big…"

Ignoring them, she carefully opened to the first page, but then stopped as if remembering something. Befuddled, I watched as Hermione's attention was averted _away_ from the book in front of her to focus on me. "So," she began slowly, "how was Malfoy on your date?" Instantly, the boys' expressions changed to cringes and they eagerly shifted closer to the book to stare down at the first page.

I bit the inside of my lip, remembering back to the previous day. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about Draco, and that kiss. It wasn't as if I'd never been kissed - I'd had boyfriends before; _not that Draco is my boyfriend!_ I thought quickly, mentally cursing. _Even in my thoughts I'm awkward. _I twiddled my thumbs. Mostly the entire event had left me… confused. Plus the fact that I hadn't really learned anything about Draco's parents or You-Know-Who didn't make me feel any better. "…Well," I began hesitantly, before my shoulders slumped and I decided to go full steam ahead. "We went to Madam Puddifoot's, but it was too pink, so instead we explored the original baby. I brought up the dead Grindylow, we both and wiggled our shoulders like snakes and then- he kissed me."

No one spoke for a few seconds before Ron closed the book and looked at me intently. "What I gathered from that is that you and Malfoy did something inappropriate to a baby, and then made out in front of the mangled corpse of a Grindylow."

"Not exactly," I sighed, "but that might be our second date."

All three of them looked at me in shock and I explained what actually happened. When I came to our entrance into the Shrieking Shack, I purposely left out our conversation about my claustrophobia and Draco's fear of snakes. _There's no need for them to know about that…_ I thought, _or that…_ My mind whispered again as I thought about the kiss. I skipped over the details and wrapped up the story, only truly realising as I spoke just how insane our date actually was.

"…So Malfoy tricked you?" Ron said when I had finished. It took a second for me to register what he was referring to, before I realised. Ron scowled."That _swine!_ I'll get him for that."

I shook my head. "No. It wasn't like that, really." I responded, crossing my arms over my chest. "Besides, I'm not a hopeless damsel in distress – I can take care of myself."

"Malfoy practically took advantage of you, Ryuu." Harry's jaw clenched as he said this.

I paused a heart beat too long and quickly spoke when I saw Hermione's hazelnut eyes narrow. "No… he didn't."

She spoke up, tone difficult to decipher. "There's something you're not telling us."

There was a quiet, and I glanced at Harry and Ron who were attentive with anticipation. I subtly took a deep breath, making my shoulders relax and forced myself to look non-chalant."Well, I kissed him back. " I said simply.

_"What?" _Hermione gasped.

"WHY?" Harry exclaimed.

"Gross…" Ron shuddered.

_Gosh, this is awkward. _"Well, it was instinct…" I stammered.I could see from the look that the trio was giving me that they weren't convinced."What was I supposed to do?" I argued. "It's not like I could've just _not_ kissed him, right?"

Harry and Ron, clearly uncertain on the female rule for this situation, glanced at Hermione. "She has a point." she shrugged.

A clicking sound turned all of our attentions to the other side of the room, where a flow of people were entering through the concealed door. I began to follow Harry and Hermione towards them, when Ron grabbed my arm. He pulled me to the side, not roughly, but enough to let me know that he was being serious. As I stared up into his face in surprise I noted the twist in the corner of his mouth. _Awkward. Uncomfortable. _His usually bright blue eyes were focused solely on my own. _Secret. _The way he held his neck and shoulders was just a touch different from normal; they were both rigid and pushed slightly forward. This and his height made him hulk over me. _Intimidation. _It was clear to me that Ron didn't often try to intimidate people, because his hand clenched around my arm showed leniencies of uncertainty. He was holding my arm so that it was over his, providing me with the dominant stance. I straightened, analysing the expression on his face, and waited for him to begin.

"Look; I know that your job here this year is difficult alright? But I just wanted to make sure that you know what you're doing, okay?" Ron's tone was low and level, but had an undeniable underlying edge to it.

"I do-"

"-Because the Order put their trust in you. Now, I don't know if you know how important that is, but I do. So, I'm just making sure, okay?"

I nodded solemnly. "Okay."

I turned away, but my arm remained in his grip. I felt his thumb hold tight against the beginning of my faded _outlier_ scars, but ignored the slight pain.

"Listen, I don't know you very well. And I can see that you're different to the others – I get that I really do. However, I can't help but notice that you're even more cunning and sneaky than the rest of them." He glanced away momentarily, making sure that no one else was listening, before continuing. "Harry trusts you. So does Hermione. I mean no offence, but I'm still unsure – and that _needs_ to be clear between us."

He paused, grip loosening slightly. "Look, all I'm trying to say is – you're doing a lot for the Order and I need to have your word that you won't turn on us." I glanced quickly at my feet before righting my gaze onto the wall in front of me. "Ryuu," Ron said, "do you promise?" his voice was huskier and quieter than it had been before. In the reflection of the mirrors, I could see us. He too was staring at our image, eyes locked on my face. Flaming red hair hung over his forehead and just covered the top of his eyes. Still facing away from him, I nodded once, so that a singular blonde ringlet freed itself from the dark green ribbon restraining it.

"You have my word," I replied.

It was only then that he freed me.

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"_Expelliarmus."_

_"EXPELLIARMUS!"_

_"… Expelliarmus?"_

_"Expell-Expell…_What was it again?"

"It's _Expelliarmus, _Neville. Don't worry, you'll get it eventually."

I stared at my wand. It had been some time since I had used defensive magic. Ignoring the sounds around me, I looked up at Cho Chang. Pretty, bright, sad. I'd never spoken to her before, but I'd seen her around the school and knew about her relationship with Diggory last year. _Poor girl; I almost feel bad for beating her. Almost._

In unison, we raised our wands. "On three," said Harry, "One…two…"

"_Expelliarmus." _

Cho's wand clattered to the ground, and she stared at me in shock. "That's not fair! You went early!"

"In the real world, people don't act as expected." I said simply.

Harry, sensing a bitch fight, stepped in between us. "Err, okay. How about we try again. And this time, Ryuu, play fair." I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again abruptly. It wouldn't look good for Harry if he was cut down by a girl in front of his love interest.

We readied ourselves again, and Harry stepped back glancing between us. "One…two…three."

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_"Protego."_

Cho's spell bounced off my shield and hit an unexpecting Hermione, who's wand flew from her reach. Cho hesitated, yelling an apology. I took my chance, slashing my wand through the air faster than a striking snake._"Stupefy."_

To my surprise, Cho dodged just before the spell hit her, silky dark hair swishing over her face. "_Expelliarmus!" _she spluttered through a mouthful of hair.

Again, I cast a shield. This time, Cho was hit by her own spell and her wand spun out of her grip. _"Accio."_ I said, and Cho's weapon redirected its course and landed in my palm. I twirled it through my fingers once, smiling pleasantly. "I win," I stated simply.

"We know…" came a chorus from the onlookers.

Cho Chang rolled her eyes, her voice tired. "You know, you don't have to say that _every_ time."

I frowned over my smirk. "But then, how would you know when you've lost?"

Before Cho could snap back at me Harry quickly performed a one-man applause. "Well done Ryuu… again."

I smiled as I handed Cho her wand, but her face remained sour as she returned to the end of the line, arms crossed.

"So, who wants to go next?" Harry asked.

The line of four frowned. All of them had duelled against me, and each time I'd won in a matter of seconds. Cho had lasted the longest. Technically, we were only supposed to be practising the disarm spell, but that was no fun. Boringly enough all of the others in the group weren't as inventive as me and stuck to using _Expelliarmus, _making it all too easy_._ As I cast my gaze around the rest of the room it was to see that the other two groups appeared to be working well. Hermione was duelling Luna to the amusement of several onlookers, who chortled when Luna cast a charm that made birds appear at the end of her wand. "They're pretty aren't they?" I heard her chime.

Ron's group was messy. There were three duels going on at once, and Neville kept diving under people's legs to retrieve his disarmed wand. Fred and George were duelling each other with predictable accuracy. Eventually George shot a firecracker hex at Fred's feet, and his twin responded in kind. Fireworks from the exploding crackers burst around them, and they laughed."This is wicked!" Fred yelled.

"No one wants to duel Ryuu?" Harry's voice brought my attention back to the group.

The previous enthusiasm of the students had quickly faded. Dean Thomas, shared a glance with Seamus Finnegan who seemed to agree with his unspoken sentiment. Cho twirled the end of her long silky hair and threw a nervous smile towards Harry. Lavender Brown appeared completely disinterested, and even had her wand tucked behind one ear. I could see that Harry was racking his brains for an idea to get his team interested again. Finally, he began to unbutton his cardigan. "Alright then. I'll duel her."

_Oh shit. _Undoubtable, I had a knack for defensive magic but I knew that I was no match for Harry. This was the boy who just last year had duelled the most powerful dark wizard on the planet - and _survived._ Harry dropped his cardigan onto the ground and stood opposite me. _No cardigan? This is serious. _I gulped as both of us quickly adapted a stance. _I need a strategy._

"So are we having a count-in or what?" I asked tentatively.

Harry's wand lowered slightly from pointing at my head. "What do you want to do?"

I kept my face and voice blank. "Well, how about we - _Flipendo!"_

My spell hit him directly in the chest and he was knocked from his feet. I couldn't suppress the smirk. Mid-sentence attacks never failed. But, before Harry hit the ground, he thrust his wand around his splayed body to point at me. "_Rictusempra!"_

I was thrown backwards and hit the floor, hard. I felt my head throb in protest. _Damn…_ I quickly glanced towards Harry, who was rolling into a kneeling position. We both raced to get up first and then readied ourselves once more.

"_Stupefy!"_

_"Stupefy!"_

The spells bounced off each other, ricocheting around the room like bullets. Several of the people nearby flinched, and Dennis had to duck as Harry's spell zoomed over his head.

_"Immobulus!" _I screeched. Harry produced a shield that only just redirected my spell. Again, Hermione paid the penalty. _I need something spontaneous._ I even surprised myself when I directed a slime jinx at him. The substance stuck onto his shirt like glue, and I hastily directed the spell at his feet. In an attempt of avoidance, Harry jumped back, staggering to regain balance.

_"EXPELLIAMRMUS!" _I shouted, but Harry deflected the attack with a shield.

_"Descendo!" _Harry retorted, and I felt my knees buckle as an invisible force brought me to the ground. As I was flattened against the floor, I struggled to lift my wand. The pressure from Harry's spell pushed down into my back and I grunted at the pain. With an extreme amount of effort, I managed to lever my wand up to point at Harry's legs, and silently cast a jelly legs jinx. Because he wasn't expecting my attack, Harry didn't have time to dodge. Once he was struggling to stand, I clumsily turned my wand to face me. When I tried to lift my arm, it was slammed downwards, but I'd already succeeded. _"Ascendio." _I gasped and felt the strange feeling of being lifted into the air. I was probably only two feet off the ground, but it made a hell of a difference.

_"Expelliarmus!"_ Harry managed to yell before he fell over.

"_Protego!"_

_"Stupefy!"_

_"Protego!" _Hermione screeched as she was knocked over again.

Finally, Harry turned his wand upon himself. _"Unjellify. Ascendio!"_ Now, we were both hovering above the ground, except Harry was higher than me. He was better than me. It was evident in the strength of his spells. _Damn natural talent…_Dully, I realised that the entire room had paused in their separate duels and were watching us, eyes wide. _Well, _I thought, clutching my wand tighter,_ might as well put on a good show._

I went first._"Everte Statum!"_

Harry was struck in the arm, but remained his levitation._"Depulso!"_

His struck my leg and my position above the ground faltered, but remained._"Impedimenta!" _

_"Protego! Expelliarmus!"_

_"LANGLOCK!" _I yelled.

Harry just managed to utter a spell before mine took effect. An unpleasant suction sound echoed throughout the room and I winced. It mustn't be a nice feeling to have your tongue glued to the roof of your mouth. I knew the hex had been a rotten move, but well – he was beating me. Plus, there was that part of me that really wanted to win over a Gryffindor, and I think Harry was feeling that same drive too.

Unexpectedly, Harry's last spell hit me and my wand flew out of my grip. Because my weapon had now left me, I fell to the ground in a heap. Harry tried to say a counter spell so that he could come down too, but because of my Langlock Jinx, it was an incomprehensible sound and he too collapsed on the floor. The duel was done.

For a moment, the room was completely silent. Then applause started. It was hesitant at first, but grew until some people even began cheering. Ruefully, wincing at my bruised knees, I pulled myself up off the ground. I shuffled awkwardly over to my wand, a tad uncertain of how to act in front of a cheering crowd. Quickly, I approached Harry, who was likely an expert in this area. "Umm… well done I guess," I murmured.

"Gootuuur…" Harry gurgled.

"Oh, right! Sorry." I quickly fixed his mouth and smiled shakily.

He cleared his throat. "Thanks. Where did you learn that one from?"

"What, _Langlock?" _I replied. "Read it in an old book."

Ron walked over and gave us both a pat on the back. "That was bloody brilliant! I didn't know you were so good at spells, Ryuu."

"It's a little thing called school, Ron. You should try it some time," I smiled casually. Being the only mudblood in Slytherin was an everyday ordeal – particularly when I had shared the same dormitory as my prime tormentors; Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bullstrode. As often as I could, I'd taken the time to practice and perfect defensive magic, and learn a few hexes myself.

Behind the crowds, I spied Hermione being freed from my body bind curse by Ginny, and Luna wafting towards us. She was wearing different earrings today, besides from her usual radish ones. They were two silver winged horses, which were animated by magic of course. Their wings flapped lazily as she approached.

"Well, that was entertaining, it's nice that you both won…" she sang.

"What?"Harry spluttered, as I said;_ "_No,_ I_ won."

Luna's eyebrows lowered so that a small furrow appeared between them. "Oh, no. The rules of a duel in the DA is that if you disarm your opponent you win-"

"-Exactly. I disarmed Ryuu." Harry interjected.

"Yes," Luna nodded, "but because of Ryuu's Langlock jinx, if you had _actually_ been fighting, you wouldn't have been able to attack or defend yourself and she would've won."

Harry and I stared at each other as we considered this. "I suppose…it is a tie." I remarked with a tinge of annoyance; but I kept my face pleasant.

Harry half-smiled, eyes blank. "Yeah…I guess so."

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Draco

I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door for the fourth time. It opened almost instantly and Ryuu's suspicious expression stared up at me, one eyebrow raised. My gaze flicked over her loose fitting winter pyjamas, draping grey sweater, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Ryuu opened her mouth to speak, but I went first.

"I'm bored. Entertain me."

Ryuu folded her arms over her chest and frowned, speaking in a low, angry voice. "It's thirteen minutes to ten."

"And you're already going to bed?" I asked with a smirk.

Her eyes narrowed, then cleared as a prominent meow sounded from her feet. She bent down and picked up the wretched kitten around the middle. "A good night's sleep is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Did you know – here hold this –" Ryuu pushed her cat towards me and I grudgingly accepted it into my outstretched arms, "-that going without sleep is worse than going without food? It takes fourteen days to die from hunger, but only ten to die from sleep deprivation." She leaned against the doorway, her eyes glinting matter-of-factly.

A frown creased my face. "What?" I grimaced as Dusk fidgeted in my grip.

"And," Ryuu continued on, ignoring my question, "people our age should be getting at least nine hours sleep a night; more like ten, _simply_ so we can function properly the next day."

I winced as Dusk's claws sunk slightly deeper into my right arm. "And your point is?"

Ryuu uncrossed her arms and straightened her stance, though I still towered over her. "My _point_ is," she began, "don't disturb me when I'm trying to sleep!"

I suppressed a smile. It was hilarious how peeved she was. Ryuu's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were emerald flames, but it incredibly was difficult not to laugh. "Well, did_ you_ know," I began, my tone coated in sarcasm, "that you can die after three days without water, but it only takes three hours to die of boredom?"

Her mouth twitched and she raised an eyebrow. "Did you know that seventy percent of statistics are made up on the spot?"

I smiled, but my mouth quickly morphed into a grimace as the infernal feline in my arms hissed at me. I glared at it as Ryuu smirked, suddenly registering something strange. "Wait, _why_ am I holding your cat again?"

Ryuu beamed at me and responded in a bright voice. "Because I know you don't like him." As I groaned she took Dusk from my arms and cradled him in her own arms. "And – I'm going back to sleep now."

Before she could begin to close the door, I leant down and kissed her. The cat screeched and sprang from her arms, and I stepped closer. Even though I was bent down, Ryuu still had to stand on her tiptoes. She responded much quicker this time, and leaned against my chest, only drawing away as I did. Ryuu grinned sheepishly. "You've _really_ got to stop doing that."

"I was thinking," I said, hands resting on her shoulders, "I couldn't find a suitable graveyard for our next date – and well the forbidden forest seems like more of a sixth date kind of thing…" Ryuu laughed, lightly. "But we do have an abandoned castle on our doorstep every single night."

"It's against school rules to wander the grounds after dark."

"Only if you get caught." I replied silkily.

Ryuu sighed, tucking a loose curl behind her ear and backing into the doorway. "Goodnight Draco…"

I leaned around the closing door so I could still see her face. "Tomorrow at eight then?"

She regarded me with a glinting gaze and half a smile. "Naturally."

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Ryuu

The Christmas holidays were steadily approaching, but I found my mind occupied with more demanding things than the season of mirth.

Dumbledore's Army was progressing rapidly. We'd gone through defensive spells and were now working on jinxes and hexes. I theorised that a large part of our success was because the entire thing was clandestinely occurring right under Umbridge's pig nose and she couldn't do a thing to stop us. Certainly she had her suspicions; every time Harry, Ron or Hermione passed her she'd glare at them with her watery eyes, cheek twitching irritably. At some instances she would even throw a long searching look in my direction, as I sat quietly in the back of the classroom, occasionally sneaking glances at Draco.

I knew what he was doing, with the night dates. It was simply a way for him to snog me without his friends seeing. Perhaps this knowledge should've offended me, but our secret meetings worked in my favour too. Occasionally, Draco let things slip. Not huge surprises; but a little detail here and there which I quickly transferred over to the trio at the next TFT meeting. Just the other night while we'd been sneaking around the East tower, he'd brought up his father.

"So he was in Slytherin too?" I'd inquired casually. "And your mother?"

"My family has been for centuries." But of course I already knew this.

"I suppose your ancestors knew many great wizards then."

Draco had turned to me with the ghost of a smile printed on his lips and his face tilted down to regard me smugly. "My ancestors _were_ great wizards. Elizabeth Burke; Phineas Nigellus Black, former headmaster of Hogwarts; Merlin-"

"-_Oh_ you are not that arrogant!" I'd exclaimed as Draco had merely smirked. "You're saying that Merlin, the most powerful and famous wizard in history, The 'original sorcerer' is your great-great-great-great grandfather?"

"You going to try and prove me wrong?" Draco had argued, and I'd scoffed, deciding not to go further. I'd then paused for a moment staring at him, and Draco seemed to sense a question bubbling on my tongue. "What?" he'd asked, tone genuine.

I remembered that I'd shuffled my feet, hid my hands behind my back and my emotions deep inside, and tried to look innocent. "Well, if your family has been in Slytherin for centuries… did your parents or grandparents ever know… You-Know-Who?"

Draco's face had changed, almost as if every muscle in it had tensed. His eyes flicked away from mine before quickly returning. He'd paused for a second or so more than acceptable before clearing his throat. "I – _well._" His fingers had twitched and he's quickly spoken in a voice that was a bit too rushed. "During the last magical war – umm, my father was put under the effects of the Imperius Curse, and used as a servant for the Dark Lord. Of course, he wasn't aware of his actions."

I'd stared solemnly, quickly apologised for my rudeness and changed the subject. His reaction had been more than enough information for me. Plus, the use of the term 'Dark Lord' was another clear indicator. As much as I didn't like to dwell on it, it was all too clear that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater, and that Draco was fully aware of that. Just another reason for the horrible feeling I was beginning to get whenever I was around him.

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A/N: Wonder what those feelings could be Ryuu? Hmm…


	13. Chapter 13 - The Complicated Conduct

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Christmas time! Off topic for a moment, I'd like to thank all of you for taking such an interest in Dragons Among Serpents. Presently, there are over 250 readers. Thanks for the support, and hope you're enjoying the story!

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Chapter 13 – The Complicated Conduct Of Presents And Gifts

Draco

The gleaming sheen of my Inquisitorial Squad Badge was almost as prominent as the one of my Prefect's Badge, which was pinned proudly beside it. My entire group, even the Outer Circle, had received the Badges from Umbridge recently. At first we were collectively confused, but that was before Umbridge had summoned us all to her office.

Students at Hogwarts were rebelling. Umbridge wasn't exactly certain of what was going on – but had expressed fears of students meeting in secret to conspire against her. Naturally we'd all instantly assumed that the perpetrators were likely to be Potter, Weasley and Granger. However, Umbridge insisted that many students were involved, and not just people in Gryffindor. _Well, that only leaves Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. _

"Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall's eyes were stern as writing appeared on the board behind her and she held her wand aloft.

"Yes?"

"Pay attention."

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Ryuu

"Well, Pansy Parkinson has been acting sneakily. I saw her reading in the library, which is strange by itself, but the book she had chosen was about dark magic."

"What was it called?" asked Hermione, the light from the candles behind her forming a halo around her head. Besides from the flames, the rest of the Great Hall was quite dark, and still appeared shockingly empty even after all our meetings here.

I searched my memory. "I think it was: _Dark Magic – A guide to Potions, Curses, and Magical Objects; by Sir Horold Crux…_"

I could practically hear Hermione rifling through the pages of her mind and attempting to locate this title in the immensely thorough section titled: 'Books'. It only took her a moment. "Oh, I started reading that, but lost interest. It's nothing to worry about. Just outlines the already known facts about the unforgiveable curses and the history of Polyjuice Potions."

It amazed me how she could remember all this information, whereas Harry and Ron remained totally blank faced as if they had seen it a thousand times. _Well, they probably have. _"Anything else?" said Ron.

"Blaise Zabini and Reeah Noseworthy are dating. Now, it's common knowledge that their marriage was arranged from an early age-"

"Hold on… did you just say that they have an arranged marriage?" Harry asked wide eyed.

"Well, yeah." I replied.

Harry stared at each of us in turn. "And no one else finds that strange?"

Ron assisted him. "That's quite common in Slytherin families. It's basically because they want to keep the maternal line pureblood. Rubbish of course, but it's what they do. And even if a dark haired couple have a blonde baby, the family completely denies the fact that the wife could've been… well, you know… because it's all about the image of having _clean blood." _He scoffed.

Harry still looked bewildered, even after Ron's accurate description. "You have to remember Harry that Slytherin is a very… old fashioned house," Hermione said. "Before Ryuu, they hadn't had a muggleborn sorted into it for over-"

"-Four hundred years." I cut in, leaning my head on my hand.

Hermione's eyebrows lowered. "How did you know that?"

I shrugged, tiredly. It had been a long day. "From the library. I read it in this old book called: _Hogwarts: A History."_

In the same instant, the three of them froze. Hermione beamed and the boys opened their mouth in shock. Ron gulped. "Pardon me, but I missed that. What did you just say?"

I could practically hear the tension in the air and wondered what I'd missed. "What?" I asked in confusion.

"Which book did you read it from?" Ron spoke delicately, as if everyone word had to be perfectly measured out before use. His eyes grinned.

"…_Hogwarts: A History." _I repeated lowly.

"So, what did you do again?" Harry and Ron had both leaned forwards in suspense.

"I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History._" I said, slowly and clearly; my voice layered in confusion.

Ron and Harry fell off their seats in laughter as Hermione shook her head at them, her lips pursed and face downcast in disdain. "…Why are they laughing at me?" I asked.

"They're not laughing at _you_…" she replied as she slid from her chair and flicked them both on the forehead. Their joy was interrupted by short exclamations of "_Ouch!"_ and _"That hurt!" _but they still continued to chortle, subtly behind their hands.

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The next morning, I received another note on my pillow.

My ferret, my ferret,  
as white as snow.  
You are the best ferret I know.  
When you crawl in my hair,  
you are like a pest,  
but I still love you like my parrot.

_What the hell is this? _It looked like one of Ron's stupid jokes, but was definitely Hermione's handwriting. There was something I wasn't seeing. I fumbled in my pocket for my wand. Pointing it at the parchment, I mumbled: _"Aperecium." _Slowly the ink faded and the real message, the one that had been written in invisible ink, appeared before me.

Ryuu,

Bad news. Harry had a dream. In the dream, a snake was attacking Ron's father. But it was real! They took a Portkey to HQ with Fred, George and Ginny. Mr. Weasley is injured, but recovering in St. Mungo's. That's all I know. We'll all be at HQ over the holidays. I'm sorry that this is brief, but I'll be leaving by Portkey soon as well.

Hermione.

I quickly threw the message into the green flames of my fireplace, and turned directly into the staring amber eyes of Dusk.

I paused, narrowing my eyes. "…You didn't see anything, _did you?"_ I asked him, knowing it was a bit of a silly thing to say. I was thankful for his profound and silent reply of blinking in confusion.

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Draco

FROM THE DESK OF LUCIUS MALFOY

HEAD OF MALFOY INDUSTRIES

Draco;

Over the course of the Christmas Holidays, we would both like you to come home.

We have much business to attend to.

Sincerely,

Lady Narcissa Malfoy

FROM THE DESK OF LUCIUS MALFOY

HEAD OF MALFOY INDUSTRIES

I neatly folded the letter and put it safely in my pocket, removing the parcel that hung from Viator's sharpened claw. My eagle owl had flown a long distance for this and I distractedly fed him a dead rat as I read the note attached to the package. It was written on a napkin in barely legible writing.

To Master Malfoy, Sir!

Tibbli is deeply sorry for the late arrival! But Tibbli has done as Master has commanded her to. Tibbli was very careful to make sure that Lord and Lady Malfoy didn't see Tibbli using your money, Master! Tibbli also did it at night so as to not disturb them, Master! Tibbli did get it, just as Master asked her to. Tibbli made sure that it was wrapped with care. But because Tibbli was sneaking behind the Lord and Lady's back, Tibbli inflicted the appropriate punishments for herself.

From your loyal servant.

I linked the name to the face of the house elf with yellow eyes, who had failed to reach my father's doorhandle. _Well, at least she has some helpful qualities._

I opened the package.

_It's perfect._

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Ryuu

Twelve giant pine trees surrounded the tables of the Great Hall. Spectacular decorations lined its branches; chariots of gold, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans Candy Canes, miniature reindeers that pranced along the bark, silver baubles and an unusual assortment of crimson fire flakes. A fairy sat atop the tree, singing Christmas Carols in a horribly high pitched voice that caused many people to shudder when they listened. Christmas at Hogwarts had always been a magical event to witness. I'd never stayed over the actual holiday, but seeing the effort the staff put into decorating was always fascinating. But as the fairy began to sing a tune that sounded like: "Silent Night" in its incomprehensible fairy folk tongue, I cringed and made my way to the exit.

"Ryuu!" Luna's voice sounded from the Ravenclaw table.

My eyes searched for her, but didn't have much struggle. _Oh my… _Luna had a thick rim of white hair that circled the beginning of her hair line. It then changed to a deep red that spread all the way down to the tips. The last few inches of her long wavy hair were white and contained an assortment of small silver bells entwined in it. With a smile I remembered Luna pulling a tiny silver bell from her hair earlier in the year. _She must have been planning this for months…_

"Merry Christmas!" she sang as we embraced.

"You too. Love the hair, by the way."

"Oh thank you. It's a simple enchantment that I thought I'd try out. Watch this." With a flowing gesture, her wand slipped out from her sleeve and she lightly balanced it in her fingers. She swung her nest of bells in front of her and whispered, "_Winguardium Leviosa." _Slowly, with a divined tinkling noise, the bells lifted into the air pulling Luna's hair with them. For a moment, I thought she was going to be levitated off the ground, but when her hair reached to its full extent, it stopped. Luna smiled, proudly displaying her handmade Santa hat.

"That's awesome…" I said honestly. Even though Luna did some strange things, her ideas never failed to make me smile.

"Thank you." Her cheeks went pink. "Are you going home over the holidays?"

"Of course," I sat down and Luna joined me. "It'll be good to see my parents again."

She nodded. "Oh that's nice. I'll be here; my dad and I celebrated Christmas in July this year."

I frowned, a tad surprised. "Why?"

Luna glanced up as a light sprite whizzed over our heads. "My Dad's recently been looking at muggle holidays and noticed that some of them have Christmas in July, so we thought we'd give it a go. It was actually quite fun. It's not often that you can go to the beach at Christmas." Her ocean blue eyes twinkled.

I opened my mouth to explain to her that Christmas in July was only celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere, because of the difference in climate, but then closed it as I saw Zach approaching. His eyes scrolled over Luna's hair, stopped and widened before he spoke.

"Umm… hey there."

"Hello Zach." Luna replied in a sing song voice, oblivious to Zach's lingering stare of shock at her hair.

I hid my smirk under pressed lips as Zach complied with the usual social conduct of Christmas time, wishing us merriments and the like. "So, I assume you're staying here?" I asked him.

"Of course. Why would I go back to _him?_" He said, his voice dripping in resentment. I knew that Zach hated his father, but he'd never told us why.

Luna stood on her tiptoes and looked around at the clusters of people sitting at the Gryffindor table. "Has anyone seen Dennis?"

"He and Colin had to go home early," Zach explained as he sat down next to me, "his mother broke her leg in a broomstick accident and is in St. Mungo's. He said that she's okay, but they'll be spending Christmas eating plastic hospital food."

"Oh," I said, as I pulled Dennis's present out of my pocket. _The Pocket Sized Edition Of The Wizard Card Collectors Album_ fit neatly into my hand. "I'll give this to him later then."

Zach smirked. "Well, as you've so subtly hinted, here you go." He handed me a handsome orange box.

"Thanks." I said with a smug grin. I was curious as to what he had gotten me. My friends and I did a Kris Kringle arrangement for Christmas each year, so I'd only ever received a present from Zach once. It had been a hug.

Luna also passed her own present to Zach who ripped the paper off. She had given him a box of Chocolate Frogs and a handmade beanie. It displayed a variety of bright pastel colours and had an assortment of pom-poms sticking out in random areas, like a psychedelic anemone. Luna stretched the woollen cap over Zach's black hair and examined her work. "It really brings out his eyes, don't you think, Ryuu?"

I made my tone teasing when I saw the look of distaste that Zach had twisted upon his face. "Definitely, I think he should wear it all the time."

His golden eyes narrowed. "Just open your present."

Inside was what looked like a glass spinning top. "It's a Sneakoscope," Zach said lowering his voice, "if somebody nearby is being distrustful, it tells you. I thought, since we were doing all the DA stuff, it might come in handy."

I smiled at him and carefully placed the Sneakoscope on the table. Instantly, a red light shone from within the glass and it pirouetted across the timber, whizzing uncontrollably. I quickly covered it with my palm so that its yell was muffled and tucked it into the pocket of my jacket, zipping it shut. "I guess it knows about the DA…" Luna said sweetly.

"Yes…" I murmured. "I suppose it does."

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_Shoes? Packed. Clothes? Packed. Books? Packed. Obnoxious Feline? Sleeping. As always…_

I looked around the room for the fifth time. My trunk was locked on my bed, and my drawers were opened in an array that resembled a hollow staircase. My desk was empty of educational debris and Dusk lay in his ever present position of comfort- on top of the fireplace.

_Knowing me I'll forget my toothbrush, _I thought as I walked towards my bathroom. _Knock, knock, knock._ He leaned against the doorway. To my surprise, he was wearing what looked like a jet black muggle-man's suit. "You're leaving?" It wasn't really a question.

"Looks like I'm not the only one." I replied, an eyebrow cocked.

Draco smiled and shrugged. "My parents and I have business to attend to."

"For Malfoy Industries?" I asked innocently. _What does he mean by 'business'?_

He nodded and approached until he was inches in front of me. "Merry Christmas Princess."

"Don't call me that." I scolded. Then my mouth tilted upwards sweetly. " And Merry Christmas."

There was an awkward silence before he stepped back slightly and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. "I have something for you."

"Me first." I interrupted, much to his disappointment. I walked over to my trunk and unbuckled it, thankful that I packed my underwear at the bottom. I picked up my present and handed it to him.

He raised his eyebrows and opened it with a hint of excitement. However, once his eyes met with the multicoloured cube his expression became perplexed. "What is it?"

"It's a Rubik's Cube."

He twirled the toy through his fingers and nodded as if he knew what it was. Although a little immature, I had given him the cube for that exact reason. So he wouldn't know what it was. I laughed and explained the meaning of the cube to him. All the while, Draco fiddled with it, fascinated with the clicks that sounded when he moved the dials this way and that.

"I know you think that muggles aren't as smart as wizards," I said and smirked when I saw the look of guilty shock appear on his face, "so I wanted to see if you knew simple math."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I know math. It was taught to me as a child."

"Oh really?" I teased.

"Yes." His gaze never left the Rubik's Cube. Quickly, I fished inside my pocket for some coins. Avoiding the DA galleon, I produced four knuts from the bottom. I displayed the small bronze coins in my palm.

"Alright Draco," I said, copying the tone of a primary school teacher. "If I have three knuts and I add one more, what do I have?"

He smirked. "The Weasley Family Fortune."

I tried with every fibre in my being to stop myself from laughing.

I failed.

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Draco

I pulled the small box from my pocket and placed it in her hand. She opened it, and her eyes widened. The ring was quite elegant. It was a pure silver serpent which coiled around in a circle once, and then spiralled around the circumference of the emerald green gemstone. I had to admit, the elf did a good job in finding it. "Draco?" Ryuu said softly, as she removed the ring from the box.

I smiled. "Yes?"

Ryuu stare snapped up to meet mine and her mouth went slack. "What the hell is this?!" Her voice cracked sharper than a whip.

I paused, a tad put out. "…A present."

"This isn't a present!" she protested, holding the ring directly in front of my face. "This- this is a gift!"

I frowned at her. "And the difference is…?"

She sighed. "Well, a _present_ is something meaningless that the receiver can keep around for a while until they return it to the store," she gestured to the rainbow box that I held in my hand. "A _gift_ is something personal that the receiver keeps forever because it's so precious."

I laughed. The way she blabbered on in her own little mind never failed to amuse me. "Geez, Princess…" I began, but with a sharp look from Ryuu, I stopped myself. Sighing, I said, "If you really don't want the ring, then just give it back."

She looked down at the silver serpent and spoke in a small voice. "No… it's too precious."

I began to laugh again, but then Ryuu threw me a glare that could've freeze over several small villages and I hid it within a cough. "So… do you like it?"

Her gaze flickered down to the ring again. "It's beautiful, Draco. Too beautiful… how much did you pay for this?" she raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Not telling."

Her head titled to the side, lips pursed. "That means a lot."

"It doesn't matter, you _know_ how wealthy I am," I groaned. "And besides - haven't you got it yet?"

Her emerald eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

I delicately placed the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. "Draco means 'the serpent'." I pointed to the snake. "Ryuu means 'the dragon'." My fingers shifted to the gemstone. "This is a Dragonstone. Green ones are rare but..." I closed my mouth. She didn't need to know that I wanted to find a green gem because the colour reminded me of her. I felt her eyes on me and relinquished my hold on her fingers. "Merry Christmas." I said once more.

I returned to trying to decipher the Rubik's Cube, intently listening to the sound of her shocked speechless.

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A/N: Nice gift-giving Ryuu. Also, I didn't write the ferret poem (although I wish I had, I love it) I found it here: .


	14. Chapter 14 - Serpent Through The

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Please be aware! At the present the chapters might be posted a little slower than usual. I'm still editing and adding in some stuff. I'll still try and get them up as fast as I can, but just be notified. Also - I don't know if I've mentioned this at all – but my version of Grimmauld Place is a tad different from canon. No 12 is the same, but the rest of the houses aren't dingy or beaten down like in the books. They're actually a really well kept uptown place to live. Old architecture that's been preserved by the ownership of Ryuu's father. Just so you know. Oh and also the Italian and French phrases used in this chapter may not be completely accurate. I don't speak the languages so I used Google Translate. Enjoy!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 14 – Serpent Through The Dragon's Maze

Ryuu

Draco and I sat across from each other on the train. With people walking down the hallways and the candy lady trundling along, it was too likely that we'd be seen. I idly scratched behind Dusk's ears and he purred animatedly. "So, what do you do for Christmas each year?" I asked cordially.

His silver gaze found me and widened. Draco had been staring out the window, distracted and layered in angst; I wanted to interrupt his thoughts. "Pardon?"

"Don't you have any cute family traditions for Christmas?" I raised an eyebrow. "It's even sadder if you don't." Draco shrugged, jaw clenched. He was clearly in a mood and I wanted to know why.

"Well," I carried on, "I've got the lot. My parents are away most of the time, but they always make certain that they're home for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we decorate the tree, Mum sings carols, so does Dad, except Mum can _actually_ sing. In the morning, we give each other presents; Dad always acts surprised even though he told me what to get him. Mum insists I call Nonna in Luton, and for seventeen minutes every year she lectures me about the 'true meaning of Christmas' and tells me she's praying that I'll be forgiven for my sinful ways." I sighed. "But then, on Christmas night Dad cooks up a feast, Mum sets up the fire, and we roast marshmallows. It was something Dad and his sisters used to do when they were growing up…"

I trailed off. More than usual, I felt the need to see my parents again. Something about the last few weeks had left me pining for home. Draco seemed distant, he acted like his normal arrogant self but something was off. And even though I kept a straight face, something in the back of my mind felt _heavy. _Like my brain was sick with flu. _Homesickness. _

I looked up to see that Draco was smiling slightly. "Hope you enjoy your _muggle_ Christmas."

I crossed my arms, noticing that he'd diverted the conversation away from what he'd be doing over the holidays. _"Actually,_ I will. Hope you enjoy you're wizard Christmas – Saturnalia, is it? Have fun setting fire to pine trees." I smirked as he frowned in confusion, not caring that I had a limited knowledge of what Saturnalia actually was.

Finally, the train stopped. Platform 9 3/4 came into view through the window. Dusk jumped back into my bag and I zipped up my jacket, readying myself to endure the chilling winter air of London. _Home._

Draco and I exited the train and stood amongst the crowds of students. The travelling had tired me, and I was anxious to see my parents again. "Well, my father should be around here somewhere…" Draco started and then stopped looking at me guiltily. It was obvious what he was about to say. _My father hates muggleborns, so if he finds out about you he won't be happy._

I nodded, "Right…"

He sighed. "Well, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah."

For a moment we looked at each other awkwardly. I smiled and slid my hand into his. The cool touch of the serpent ring was still heavy on my fingers. I affectionately squeezed his hand, aware of the hoards of people bustling about us and hurried away, throwing a smirk behind my shoulder as I did.

I felt the strange, rushing sensation grip me as I walked through the wall between platforms nine and ten and into the muggle world. The overpowering sound of trains leaving King's Cross Station filled my eardrums. People merged from here and there, dodging between luggage trolleys and slow walkers. A Police Officer nodded at me as he passed, and I smiled at his dog, who growled at me for acknowledging its presence. _Why is it that dogs hate me? _I tightened my hand around my trunk and dragged it to a trolley bay. Hauling the heavy baggage onto the rickety surface, I heard my mother's voice.

"Ryuu!"

I turned to see her inches away, throwing her arms around me. My eyes widened and I struggled to move. "Hey… Mum." I croaked.

She released me, brandishing her million dollar smile. My exact eyes stared into my own. "How was school?"

I shrugged."The usual. Lies. Betrayal. Rebellion."

Her disbelieving smile widened. "That's my girl."

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I'd forgotten how well Dad could cook pasta. From memory, I'd never tasted anything better. It had always annoyed Mum. Her own Nonna had tried to teach her many times, but Mum simply couldn't cook. Something I found immensely ironic.

"Pasta for Christmas dinner? I feel like I'm twelve again." Mum declared with a glance at Dad.

"Well, it's not just _any_ pasta." He replied with a wink as he cleaned his glasses.

Mum looked at him sceptically over her steaming bowl."What do you mean?"

"Specially made Christmas pasta." Dad grinned broadly. "It has turkey in it."

Mum raised her eyebrows and lowered her fork. "You put _turkey_ in pasta?"

"What? You can do it."

"If Nonna saw this she'd beat you with a ladle-"

"-Which is why we never pick her up from the airport." I muttered, to Dad's warning glance.

Mum gasped. "You don't seriously do that do you?!" she said as she stood to take her glass to the kitchen.

Dad frowned. "Of course not! What do you take me for?"

She smiled as she walked off, and Dad swung his gaze to me. "You're _never_ going to let me live that down are you?"

I smirked. "You're lucky I just saved your ass."

He shook his head at me and laughed.

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Draco

Father led me into the Entrance Hall, and flicked his wand so that my trunk sped up towards my room. Several servants rushed forwards and bowed at our entrance. Two offered to transport my fathers' walking cane to his room, as he removed his travelling cape and flung it upon the ground for the elves to take care of.

My mother stepped into the light of the chandelier, her expression blank. "Draco."

"Mother."

She advanced and studied my face before allowing a small smile to appear momentarily on her lips. "You've grown."

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_Blue… blue… yellow! Dammit!_

In anger, I hurled the Rubik's Cube across the room. I glared at it as it lay atop the lounge opposite me. _It's mocking me. Because I can't figure it out. Just like Ryuu. _I remembered back to the day before we left Hogwarts, when I'd sat for ages in The Prefect's Common Room trying to solve it and had eventually given up in frustration. "This is insane!" I'd declared. "How many combinations can this thing possibly have?!"

And Ryuu, without taking her eyes off her book, had unflinchingly begun to recite. "Four quintillion, three hundred and twenty five quadrillion, three trillion, two hundred and seventy four billion, four hundred eighty nine million, eight hundred and fifty six thousand."I'd stared at her in absolute shock, but Ryuu had merely flashed a grin and shook her head, practically purring with self satisfaction.. "Simple math, Draco."

My mind back in the present, I glared at the cube across the room, hands twitching in frustration. Slowly, I stood and walked towards it. I gingerly picked it up and attempted the puzzle again. The colours shifted before my eyes and blurred together as I madly twisted the box. It was strangely addictive and this frustrated me. _I will figure this out, _I vowed.

"What's that?" my father asked from the chair beside me. I jumped in shock. I hadn't realised he'd come in. How long had he been sitting there?

Turning my focus back to the cube, I twisted a few more dials, matching three orange squares in a row. "A present that Ryuu gave me." I said, as I discovered a section that I hadn't realised moved until now.

"Who's Ryuu?"

_Oh no. Did I just say that? I did. Dammit, Ryuu! Why did you get me a present that distracts me? _I looked up from the toy and into my father's eyes. He had lowered the book he was reading and was staring at me intently. I couldn't lie to those eyes. I'd tried before, but he could always tell. Knowing I would regret it, I smothered a wince and spoke."She's… my girlfriend."

My Father's steely eyes widened. It was such a slight change that I had to ask myself if I'd actually seen it. "Which family does she hail from?"

_A muggle family. _"The Veils." I replied, forcing my voice to sound natural.

My father's forehead creased in the slightest of frowns."I've never heard that name before."

"She's from Italy." I said quickly.

I didn't elaborate, hoping that he'd change the subject. I was lucky. "Is she in Slytherin?"

"Of course, father." I said, rather promptly. "She's a Prefect."

This seemed to satisfy his thoughts on family names. "I see…" The discussion lulled, so I quickly returned my attention back to Ryuu's gift. _Don't ask me anything else. Don't ask me anything else…_

"Draco?"

_Damn._"Yes father?"

"When will we be meeting her?"

_Oh shit. _"Pardon?"

His stare hardened, and I felt like I was being pinned down. "I expect we should be meeting her, if she is of such interest to _you._"

Emphasis was pressed onto the last word and I knew what he really meant. _Your mother and I need to inspect her to see if she is worthy of being a possible future wife of yours._

I nodded. "Of course." Again, I turned back to the Rubik's Cube, praying this discussion was over.

I felt his gaze shift and felt a sigh of relief. Now all I had to do was wait a while and make up an excuse for why Ryuu couldn't come. _She's sick. Not with the common cold, no. Nothing common about my girlfriend. She broke her leg of course, poor thing. In a dance lesson._ But suddenly, my Father's silken tone broke through my frantic thought pattern. "You will invite her here to dine. As a gentlemen should. Tonight." _Oh no._

I stood and tucked the coloured cube into my pocket. "I shall leave right away."

My father had already begun to read again, so he couldn't see the look of concern in my eyes as I left the Library.

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I brushed the Floo Powder from the shoulders of my jacket as I walked towards the exit of The Leaky Cauldron. _Ryuu had mentioned that she lived in London… _Tucking the box from Madam Malkin's under my arm I took a deep breath as I stood before the thick, oak door.

I'd never been to Muggle-London, except to enter Platform 9 3/4 . As I stepped outside I barely contained a grimace. There were cars and vehicles flooding the streets. I had often heard how muggles are so proud of their cars, but it seemed to me that a broom was much more efficient. They were clogging up the road like boulders in a river, their glary metal skins reflecting the faint glow of winter's sun into my eyes, forcing me to squint slightly. _How inconvenient._

Muggles swarmed around me, walking in their own worlds, regarding me as nothing but one of them. A young male muggle knelt at my feet to pick up a coin. I scowled at him, and his brown eyes widened as he ran back to his mother.

I stepped down from the entrance of the wizarding world and onto the icy walkway. Instantly, I was pushed along with the flow of muggles, forced around a corner and onto another street that looked identical to the one I had just left. I scowled again. _What fools. How is anyone supposed to find their way around here? _My eyes flitted around for a landmark as I tried to discern where I could be. I was unsuccessful. Well, there was no way I was going to ask a muggle for assistance. _I'll find Ryuu on my own._

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I leaned against the lamppost, my breath coming out as a mist. I had been searching for three hours. The muggles were still walking around me in a hazed mass. It was like the crowds simply never ended. I still hadn't been able to locate Ryuu. Although, I had given a blonde teenage muggle a shock, when I had come up behind her and said: "I've been searching for you for hours," in a low husky voice. I scowled. _I'm being forced to resort to the unthinkable._

"Hey, you! Yes you, take me to the residence of Ryuu Veil." The man looked at me with a pinched expression and rolled his eyes.

"Do you not understand me? Take-me-to-Ryuu-Veil." I translated.

He bristled."Get lost kid," he snickered as he walked away.

I opened my mouth in shock. "Filthy muggle! Just wait until my father hears about this!"

But the man was already out of earshot. I tried again, this time approaching a ginger haired woman. "Do you know where the Veils live?"

"No." she replied absently as she walked on.

_Why is it that none of the muggles know each other? _A dark skinned boy was playing music below me. The strange instrument was resting on his folded legs and he was plucking the strings lightly. The case for the instrument was sitting open on the ground in front of him, with a splatter of coins inside. He was probably only about ten years of age.

_He must be like the muggle version of a Familiar. _I thought, as I dropped in a galleon. _If I give him gold, he'll answer my question. _The boy looked up at me and nodded. I took this as a signal."Where do the Veils live?"

His dark eyes squinted but his fingers continued strumming."I dunno."

"Why not?!" I almost yelled, but managed to keep my tone to an irritated growl.

"Because I don't know them." he said simply, as if this was the most appropriate answer in the world.

"Well, how am I supposed to find her?!" I snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you could use a _phonebook,"_ he retorted as if this was the most obvious answer.

I frowned. "Well of course I could use a phonebook." I lied, because I had absolutely no idea what it was. _Probably some low muggle trick, _I thought bitterly.

The boy nodded slowly. "There's a Post Office right down there," he said, pointing to a building a few feet away.

I said no more to the muggle familiar and quickly walked into the Post Office. It was completely empty, except for a female muggle sitting behind the desk reading a muggle version of _Witch Weekly. _Shelves were stacked up against the walls. They held several bundles of newspapers and packages. A metal wire rack stood in front of the desk, displaying the glossy bursts of colours from the covers of magazines. _It's like a muggle owlery._ I walked up to the desk and waited for the attention of the woman. She didn't spare me a glance."Ahem." I coughed impatiently.

Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze and focused on me. "Wha?"

I naturally recoiled at her blunt and troll-like introduction. "I wish to use the phonebook."

"Well git it yerself then."

I grimaced. "Isn't that _your_ job?"

Her makeup coated face crinkled as she slumped and reached under her desk. With a dramatic _thunk _a bright yellow book was dropped onto the surface in front of me. Even in Granger's harpy-like clutches, I'd never seen a book so thick.

I placed my hands firmly on the cover. "Show me the location of Ryuu Veil." I ordered.

The book didn't move. It didn't fly open and flick to the designated page. Its cover remained stubbornly still. The muggle raised her eyebrows. "Wha did ya just say?"

_Of course… muggle books aren't made of magic. _I raised my attention from the phonebook. "It's rude to interrupt!" I chastised, to receive an eye roll. I straightened my sleeves and opened the book to the first delicately thin page.

_A_

_Aarons, Cassandra… 6 Wieland Road_

_Aarons, Julie… 13 Lexington Street_

_It's a glossary of muggles!_ I hastily hauled a large chunk of the book over so I could get to the 'V' section. When I had done that, my finger slid down the page, searching… searching for- _Veil!_

_Veil, Dominic… 4 Grimmauld Place, Apartment D_

_Veil, Bill… 67 Fleet Street_

_But… which one is it? _Suddenly, Ryuu's voice tickled at the back of my mind. _"My father's a photographer. He takes pictures, but not for the media. It's his job as an artist. He's really very good; world renowned actually."_

"Excuse me?" I said to the muggle behind the counter.

The over pronounced eyelashes drearily lifted upwards."Wha?"

"Have you ever heard of the photographer…" I looked at the first listed name, "Dominic Veil?"

She looked at me as if I was mental, and my hope had begun to fade, before - "Of course I have. He's brilliant."

I'd never thought I'd be so relieved to hear a muggle compliment another muggle. "Right then," I continued, promptly. "Take me to Number 4 Grimmauld Place."

She scowled at me. "Do it yerself. There's some maps over there." She indicated to a stack of folded papers on top of the desk.

I returned her scowl and retrieved a map from the top. To my dismay, it fell open with an extravagant display of folds to its actual size; which appeared to be three feet wide. _Foolish muggles… _I thought, as I studied the map.

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Ryuu

_1. __Fold branches downwards, moving clockwise around the centre of the tree. Do not apply too much pressure for damage can occur. __2. __Carefully place tree into box, do not drop, because damage can occur.__3. __To store your Holiday Spirit Christmas Tree ™ for another year, it is advised that you neatly fold the protective wrappings around the tree to prevent severe damage from occurring._

_Made in China._

I lowered the poorly written instruction manual and inspected the recently decorated but now barren Christmas tree. _Sounds legit. _I flexed my fingers, wrapped them around the base of the tree and lifted it.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Coming!" I said automatically and began to walk towards the door. When I was a few feet away, I realised I was still holding the tree in my hands. _Right. I bet whoever's at the door probably wants to talk to Ryuu, not a plastic pine tree._ Suddenly, the tip of the tree dipped closer towards my face and I felt my foot slide across the rug. I swore, thankful that the apartment was relieved of parental presence, and endured the crashing weight of the tree on top of me.

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Dammit! _I struggled to push it off me, and felt the added mass of Dusk jumping on to a branch and scratching at it, convinced that it was attacking me. Finally, I pushed the tree aside and clambered to my feet. _Urgh! Everything is so much more difficult without magic…_

Before the person could knock again, I quickly opened the door as far as the chain would allow it to go. Draco stared back at me, and he smiled. "Ryuu…"

I slammed the door in his face, swearing under my breath. _Oh hell, oh hell, oh hell! What the shit is he doing here! How did he find me?! _I rolled my eyes. _No shit, Ryuu. He obviously went straight to a phonebook. _Anger flared in me. I thought I was free of him for the holidays. It had been so nice to not be stressed by the thought of him for the past week.

Hesitantly the knock sounded again. _Oh, right! _I quickly fiddled with the chain. "Just a moment, have to unlock the door!" I took a deep breath and turned the handle, inviting the son of a Death Eater into my home.

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Draco

_So this is what a muggle manor looks like…_

It looked nothing like Malfoy Manor. It was extraordinarily small. The floor was made of polished timber and I thought that I would slip on it, but my steps didn't waver. A dark blue lounge sat atop an ivory coloured rug in an open area to my right. Upon the wall was what looked like a thin black rectangle. A giant toy pine tree lay fallen on the rug, and I wondered at its purpose. A kitchen was to the left of me, a gallery of metallic grey sheens and overhead cupboards. The hallway stretched out in front of me, leading to rooms that were out of my sight. The walls of the house where pristine white and displayed several richly framed photographs. They were interesting pictures, which I assumed her father had taken.

"This is my Dad's apartment. Would you like a drink?" she said formally. It sounded rehearsed.

"No thanks." I lied.

She got straight to the point. "What are you doing here Draco?"

I studied her. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt that almost matched her eyes. Her hair was out, and framed her face. I noticed with a hint of triumph that she was still wearing the ring I had given her. I hesitated, watching intently to see how she would react. "My parents would like to meet you."

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Ryuu

_Oh shit. This can't be good. This is not good. Say something!_

"Oh?"

_More profound, Ryuu._

Draco raised an eyebrow."They want to have dinner with you."

"Oh?" I repeated dumbly, composure wavering. _C'mon Ryuu. Think of some excuses. My dog ate my homework. My grandmother is sick. My house is on fire._

He stepped towards me, looking at me with concern written on his face. "Are you okay Princess?"

I realised with a jolt that I must have been looking pretty distressed. "I'm fine." I smiled reassuringly, before it faded to a frown. "Don't call me that." _What if I don't need an excuse? This is a huge opportunity for the Order. I'll be inside Lucius Malfoy's home. _There was just one problem.

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you worried how my parents will react if they find out about your blood status?"

"Yes." I said with a sigh.

A pause. "Just, don't worry about them." he said.

"Gee, you're right. I do feel better now." I said robotically and with deliberate sarcasm.

His silvery eyes rolled. "Okay. I'm not good with advice…"

I propped myself up to sit on the kitchen bench. "Draco, if they find out about me; you and I both know that-"

"-I _know_." his face softened.

I was a bit taken aback by how he was acting. _This isn't like him. Isn't he worried about what his parents will think? _"Draco." I made my voice serious. "You realise we're going to have to lie? They _cannot_ know-"

He walked forwards and leaned against the edge of the bench beside me. I could see that he was struggling to find the right words. Eventually, he started to speak, pausing after he'd said too much. "I used to think that it mattered – if people were pureblood or not…" He glanced down at his hand resting on the marble bench. "–but, now… I don't really… _mind."_

I raised an eyebrow. _"You don't really mind?"_

He pressed his lips together, embarrassed. He then quickly concealed it to be replaced with a smug grin. "You heard me."

I laughed to reassure him, slipping down from the bench as I did so._"_But," he began, looking extremely uncomfortable, "my parents are different…"

I nodded. He didn't need to explain. "So what am I supposed to say?"

His face softened, but I could see that his eyes had hardened, deep in thought. I'd often seen my mother pull the same face while she was working. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know."

"You really aren't that good on the advice are you?"He smirked, proposing a silent question in his body language. I rolled my eyes. "Okay then." I said, "I'll go. But if I regret this, I blame you."

He smiled, pulling a large thin box form under his arm that I hadn't fully registered was there. Placing it on the bench, he said, "I bought these for you."

I walked forwards, sighing. "Draco, you've got to stop buying me things. I can pay for myself, you know." He didn't reply, instead removing the lid, and my eyes fell onto a beautiful set of silvery dress robes. I stared for a few seconds, before retrieving them from the box. It was similar to an evening gown with a long skirt, fitted waist and high neck. The sleeves were long and the cloak was made of soft titanium coloured silk. The entire ensemble practically excreted elegance, I suddenly felt that I should've thoroughly bleached my hands clean before touching it.

"You'd better hurry," Draco said absently, glancing at his pocket-watch as if it was completely average to have a pocket-watch. "Dinner starts at seven."

"I can't believe you bought this for me." I said, shaking my head.

His eyebrows lowered. "Don't you like it?"

"Don't be stupid, Draco. This is… _really_ pretty." I stared at the robes for a moment again, noticing with a hint of surprise that they had a similar style to a kimono. "But, _why_… and how did you know that this would-?"

"-Quick, get changed." Draco replied, ignoring me. "We've got half an hour to get to the Leaky Cauldron."

"You do realise that it's only a few blocks away, don't you?" I remarked as I walked down the hall, Draco following. I walked into my room and turned to see Draco looking around in interest. I raised my eyebrows. "Um, could I have a little privacy?"

Shrugging, Draco walked towards the door. "If that's what you want," he said as he shut the door behind him.

I began to change. As I slid into the robes I stared curiously down at my feet which were just covered by the hem, and brushed my hands over the smooth material encircling my waist. "Erm, Draco?"

"Yes?" came his deep voice from through the door.

"Why is it that the robes fit me perfectly?" I asked, my concern deepening with each word.

"Because." His disembodied voice replied casually. "I had them specially tailored for you."

I draped the silky cloak over my shoulders. "But- I wasn't there when you bought them."

"Well, yeah. I know all your measurements."

I nearly dropped the flat grey shoe as I retrieved it from the box. _"What?!" _I stormed towards the door, as if somehow this would demonstrate the seriousness of what Draco would hear. "You _know_ my measurements? Draco, that is _really_ creepy!"

"How?" he replied curiously, as I slipped my feet into the shoes which were just the right size. "It's a custom for a gentleman to note the measurements of the lady he's courting." I winced at the word 'courting', walking to the mirror and pulling my hair back. "I'm sure you haven't failed to notice _my_ measurements." I nearly dropped the pin I was holding. I didn't need to see him to know he was smirking.

"The most gracious of gentlemen." I replied, walking over to my bedside table and picking up my wand, I carefully shoved it down my sleeve. I wasn't going to Draco's house without a weapon. _Just hope I don't have to use it._

Taking a quick breath, I opened the door. Draco was standing just outside and his already smug smile widened as his gaze flicked up and down my body. He stepped forwards, I resisted the urge to step back. Lightly, his fingers brushed a stray golden ringlet behind my ear. "Perfect." He said lowly.

There was a long pause, in which I just stood there, trying to think of what I should do. Then, Draco removed his hand from my face and stepped back, a tad awkward. "Ready to go?"

"Um- just one moment!" I said, hurrying down the hall and into the kitchen, blinking away the moment. "I just have to call my Mum, to tell her where I'll be."

Hands a bit shaky, I removed the landline from its cradle began to dial the number that was not my mother's at all. It only rang twice before she answered.

"Ryuu?" said Hermione's voice.

I spoke loudly as Draco entered, leaning against the front door."Hey Mum, listen I'm just calling to say that I won't be here tonight."

"…_What?"_

"Do you remember how I told you about Draco, my boyfriend?" I tapped my fingernails against the marble bench, thankful that Draco couldn't hear Hermione's voice. "Well, his parents have invited me over for dinner."

An eerie silence was all that sounded from the other side.

"Yes, I'll be safe." I said, rolling my eyes so that Draco could see me.

"Ryuu. Listen to me. Do. Not. Go." Hermione's voice was sterner than I'd ever heard it before.

I smiled innocently. "Okay, bye Mum. I love you."

"RYUU! NO IT'S DANGEROUS-!"

I hung up before Hermione could yell anything else, hastily returning the phone to its cradle and walking towards the door.

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A/N: What actually happens during Saturnalia? I did a little research but I still don't know. Feel free to comment if you do.


	15. Chapter 15 - Dragon In The Serpent's

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: So, Ryuu meets the Malfoys in this chapter. Hope you enjoy. Oh, the translations in this may be a tad dodgy. They're Italian and French. I used Google Translate, because I can't actually speak the languages. I think I mentioned this in the last chapter, which was silly of me because the languages are in _this_ chapter. Oops. Sorry for any confusion.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 15 – Dragon In The Serpent's Lair

Ryuu

The journey to the Leaky Cauldron was proving to be stressful. Draco insisted that we'd have enough time to walk, but I wasn't particularly comfortable with the idea of walking through the streets of London in dress robes; and the Underground was out of the question.

"Why not the Knight Bus?" I'd used the rickety triple decker bus a few times to visit my friends over the summer.

"It's only a short while away," Draco bickered. "and that infernal vehicle is just… _disorientating. _We can walk."

"We look a bit strange in robes, Draco." I whispered. "We'd only be breaching the Statute of Secrecy." I'd remarked, and he'd given in. "We'll take the muggle bus. It's not too slow and we won't be noticed by as many people as we would if we strolled along the sidewalk."

As we boarded and I was handing some notes to the driver I noticed Draco glancing around anxiously. Smiling shyly at a few amused stares from the occupants as they took in my attire, I bee-lined for two spots in the back, where I took the window seat and Draco sat beside me in the aisle seat. As the bus began to trundle along, I noticed Draco sitting abnormally straight, and whenever it rounded a corner or stopped abruptly, he'd clutch the side of his seat like he was holding on for dear life. "How do muggles stand this?" He hissed to me as we stopped at the traffic lights.

"Sorry this _common_ mode of transportation isn't satisfactory enough for you." I replied smartly. "Would you prefer a solid gold palanquin borne on the backs of four unicorns?"

"Don't be foolish." Draco droned. "It couldn't be borne by unicorns - they don't like males." I rolled my eyes before he carried on. "Now I've told my parents that you're from Italy-"

"-But I was born in London," I interjected. "and my mother's only half Italian anyway."

"I know. But… my father didn't recognise your name. I had to improvise." He shifted awkwardly as the bus abruptly stopped. "So they might bring something up. Do you, by any chance speak Italian?" he asked in concern.

I smirked. "Spek italiano? Certo che posso."

Draco's mouth twitched. 'Je ne m'attendais pas à quelque chose de moins.'

I wasn't an expert on the subject, but it had sounded like he'd spoken French. If he wanted to play, then I'd give him a game. 'Sai Draco, credo che tu sei il più grande idiota che abbia mai incontrato.' I waited for his reaction, but clearly Draco couldn't speak Italian, just as I couldn't speak French.

'Chanceux vos vêtements étaient chers. Je pourrais bien aimé vous mieux sans eux.' he said casually.

I continued to keep my expression pleasant. 'Ma anche se sei un completo idiota mi stll piaci. E a volte mi sento come se non dovrei mentire a voi più.'

Draco paused. 'Tu es la plus belle fille que j'ai jamais rencontré, Ryuu. J'espère juste que mes parents ne découvrent pas votre sang statut.'

Once we'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron; the muggle bus driver looking awfully confused as we exited onto a dingy sidewalk; we hurried inside relishing the warmth of the dusty pub. Draco walked immediately over to a hearth in the corner retrieving a small pouch from his coat pocket. As I watched nervously, he grabbed a dollop of Floo Powder and tossed it into the fire. The flames rose high and flashed a wicked green. Swallowing the anxious feelings that were rushing up and down my spine I accepted Draco's hand and stepped gingerly into the surprisingly pleasant warmth of the flames. "Malfoy Manor." Draco declared and everything that was certain – gravity, oxygen, reason – flipped upwards in a sickening twirl of disorientation. And then, before I could discern proper comprehension of what I should do next, we were stepping out of the fire.

I coughed, expecting to have ash in my mouth and still a little dizzy. I'd never done that before. "Well, Floo Powder is _jolly good." _

"Sorry it's not good enough for perfect Princess Ryuu." Draco mocked. "What would you prefer? A metal muggle box with wheels?"

But I'd stopped listening, my mouth was hanging open in astonishment.

The room was cavernous. _It looks bigger than my entire apartment! _The floors were made of polished marble and a dark green rug embroidered in silver stretched down the centre of the room. The fireplace behind us could easily fit the entire Weasley household and the flames had changed colour from a moss green to a normal orange. Thick stone pillars held up the roof, which was richly decorated with carvings and ceiling roses. My eyes travelled around the dark green walls, which displayed portraits of past Malfoy family members. A dark haired woman stared at me in disgust, and I winked at her, laughing at her expression of horror. Finally, my gaze rested on the dining table in the centre of the room. It was intricately carved from mahogany. It gleamed from the light of the two diamond chandeliers hanging above it. A row of ten chairs were placed along each side of the table and one on each end. They too were made from the dark mahogany timber and had green plush padding built into them.

I heard Draco's voice echo off the walls. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor. This is the Dining Room."

I gulped. "You don't say?"

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I stood beside the fireplace silently panicking. _You're in Ryuu, now don't mess it up. _Draco had told me to wait here while he got his parents. Everything he did seemed so formal. It made me feel like I was about to be in the presence of royalty. _Well, they've certainly got the house for it._

I idly strolled over to a bookshelf on one side of the room. _Hiding any Death Eater Autobiographies? _I thought with a smirk. _Or maybe The Dark Lord's diary?_ I shook my head in self exhaustion. _As if You Know Who would keep a diary… _My fingers caressed the spines of the old books, and I pulled one out on curiosity. The book jerked in my grasp, and I jumped and dropped it as a face appeared from the inside of the cover.

"What the-?"

"Well, pick me up will you?!" the voice was muffled because the face was planted on the floor. I bent down and retrieved it, studying the features. It was an old man, his papery skin lined and pale due to his parchment complexion. He looked straight at me and began to talk. "_The Malfoy Family Tree by Brutus Malfoy. Chapter 1…"_

I covered his mouth with my palm, much to his disliking. The face still rambled on however, and it wasn't until I forced him back inside the bookshelf that he finally silenced himself. I did this just in time.

The large door opened in an eerily quiet manner. A man who could be no one else but Draco's father walked in first. Lucius Malfoy's sleek white hair was neatly combed and flicked behind his shoulders. Draco's face was similar to his father's, but there were some major differences, especially in the eyes. Lucius was wearing robes that were black and reminded me of someone from the medieval period. A white cuff circled his neck and what looked like a silver serpent brooch held his cape together. In one hand, he held a long cane. The top of it was a pure silver snake's head, its jaw unhinged. My stare lingered on the cane for a small moment and an idea clicked inside my head. From what Draco had told me I had gathered many ideas about the relationship between him and his father. They were far from close, but weren't particularly separate either. And now, upon seeing this richly decorated cane, a pristine thought flashed through my head. _I'd imagine that if Draco wasn't acting… correctly, he would be beaten. _I felt a pang in my stomach. If there was one thing that I truly hated; it was child abusers. As I glanced down at the snake head tipped cane, Draco's fear of snakes began to make a lot more sense to me.

Lady Narcissa Malfoy followed silently. She was - there was no other way to put it - beautiful. Her skin was pale, and her hair was no different. It was pinned up elegantly, to match her poise. She and Draco shared the same eyes; light grey and almost silver. Narcissa was wearing a long dress, again in a similarly medieval fashion. The skirt was a deep green, and the bodice jet black. Emerald green lace protruded along her shoulders as sleeves, coiling around her fingers to form gloves.

I straightened, looking at them both in the eye. _Remember, Ryuu. It's all about appearance here. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it._ For a second, I mentally staggered. _There must be something seriously wrong with me if I'm taking advice from Lady Macbeth. _There was a long pause, and I could feel the Malfoys analysing me as I had done them. I softened my face, so as to not give anything away, and forced myself to avert my eyes from Lucius' sleeve. The Order had told me that Death Eaters had a Dark Mark burned into the flesh of their inner arm; and I couldn't help feeling that it was watching me. _Don't be foolish Ryuu. He can't do anything to you… yet._

Finally, Draco spoke. "Mother, Father. This is Ryuu Veil."

I waited for Draco to introduce his parents to me, but he closed his mouth. Obviously, I was naturally supposed to know who the Malfoys were. They were all waiting for me to do something. _What, do they expect me to bow my head in respect? Well, I can do a lot better than that. _Keeping my back straight, I lowered into a polite curtsey, ignoring Draco's flinch of surprise. "Good evening Lord… Lady." I spoke very evenly, making sure my voice was smooth and my words were appropriate before I opened my mouth.

Without a stir from either male, Narcissa Malfoy gracefully stepped forwards, her gaze fixed on my face, which remained pleasantly placid. Like a buyer examining a horse, she circled me once, eyes flicking up and down my body. With one gentle nudge, she pulled up my right hand, face blank as she stared down at my clean fingers. After a moment she freed my hand, returning her unwavering silver eyes to my face. I counted to eight in my head before she blinked and smoothly turned to face her son. With a low, soft, steady voice that gave nothing away, Narcissa Malfoy spoke. "Pretty."

Draco nodded once, extremely solemnly. Contrary to my immediate presumption, Narcissa's words had not been patronising, but a deep compliment. I rephrased my thought pattern, attempting to analyse this from a different angle. Perhaps if Narcissa Malfoy, the most highly esteemed sophisticated woman in the world called me 'pretty', it demonstrated her approval. It showed that I was acceptable to date her son. My stare lingered on Narcissa and she stared back. Despite the insanity of this situation, and the differences in our characters, I suddenly felt a strong and strange surge of admiration towards the woman – or at least towards the utter duplicity in the way she conducted herself.

After an intense heartbeat of silence, Lucius Malfoy retrieved his wand from his pocket. I instinctively froze, suspicious despite myself. However, he simply swished the wand two and fro, and the sound of a bell rang throughout the Manor. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and a dozen small creatures tentatively entered the room. I quickly recognised them as house elves, from the reoccurring mentions in Care Of Magical Creatures Class. The elves hastily pulled most of the chairs from the table, stacking them up into impossibly large towers. Then, with a click of their fingers they disappeared, taking the chairs with them. Four seats were left at one end of the table. Two had been moved to face down the table and the other two were positioned at opposite sides; facing directly at each other. Lucius slid his wand away and spoke in a voice that sounded too much like his son's.

"Let us dine."

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Draco

I could tell that my mother was impressed by Ryuu's elegant dress robes. I could also see that Ryuu had noticed this and complimented my mother on her own gown. She was coping with this in a far smoother fashion than I had presumed; although I wasn't exactly sure I liked this formal, polite Ryuu. Well, at least it wasn't terrified suddenly exposed as a muggleborn Ryuu. _Don't show weakness, and then maybe they won't ask about your blood status. _I told her with a glance.

As the elves were preparing the meal, we sat in an awkward silence. My father was always the first to speak."You are a Slytherin Prefect." It wasn't a question.

Thankfully, Ryuu shed her most dazzling smile. "Yes. It has been an honour."

"We are very proud of Draco for his accomplishments at school." My mother said coolly, her eyes never leaving Ryuu's.

Ryuu replied with the same tone of voice. "Just as my parents are pleased with mine." The statement was simple, but the way she said it was effective. She hadn't walked into the trap of sucking up by agreeing with my mother, but she also hadn't rejected the statement completely. Instead Ryuu had reciprocated a reply that shed a small light on her loving parents, without giving the slightest hint of who they really were. It hadn't been a lie either, which was good seeing as my parents would have seen right through that. Plus, she'd implied a certain academic success rate. I threw Ryuu a glance, wondering how she'd managed to answer so quickly and so correctly and _so_ calmly. The corners of my mother's mouth twitch upwards into the beginning of a hidden smile. She had always admired girls who could speak for themselves.

And Ryuu certainly could speak for herself.

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Ryuu

It was taking all of my concentration and practise to think of appropriate answers to their questions. And it also wasn't what I said, but the way I said it and how I looked when I spoke. It was a routine I had been doing for months with Draco, but since we had started dating, my act had softened. But now as I looked into the eyes of his parents, I knew that my facade had to be perfect.

"What is your father's profession?" Lucius asked.

_Well, I was expecting this. I can't lie. But I can't tell the truth either. I'll just have to do something in-between. _I felt Draco's gaze on me as I answered. "He's a photographer." I crossed my fingers under the table, ' face cleared and he lowered his chin slightly, which I presumed was a nod. _He expects that Draco would never date a muggleborn, so therefore he expects that my father is a wizard who works for The Daily Prophet. _I smiled pleasantly. _People with presumptuous attitudes are so easy to manipulate._

To my absolute relief, Lucius did not question further. "And your mother?"

"She's a Healer." This was an almost truth. A Doctor heals people. It was simply a purposeful slip of the tongue that I happened to use the wizard term for magical Doctors. _How silly of me,_ I thought as I took in his reaction. _Now, he's thinking about St. Mungo's… _The adults both glanced at each other in unison before their eyes flickered away in different directions. I looked over at Draco to see him raise an eyebrow at me. I kept my body language calm, but I suspected that they might ask me more about my parents. I needed them to broaden their conversational queries. _Asking about dinner is too hasty, perhaps gluttonous. Of course I can't change the subject myself by asking them something; I'm not important enough for that. They need time to come up with different things to ask me…_

"May I excuse myself to the washroom?" I asked in my softest tone and hoping that 'washroom' was the fancy term for 'toilet'.

Apparently so. "Of course," the Lady said, "Down the hall to the left. The third door on the right." I nodded my thanks and left, focusing on making my posture appear calm but poised. Closing the door behind me; I allowed myself a sigh of relief. _So far so good._

The décor of the dining room had spread to the rest of the manor like a virus. Old fashioned furniture was displayed in old fashioned rooms. Portraits that probably dated back to the 1600s resided on the richly wallpapered halls. Chandeliers hung from the roof of the building like cobwebs did in Headquarters. The colours merged between deep greens and blacks, whilst most of the decorations were silver. _It's like a Grindylow in a dark room. _I thought to myself as I strolled through the manor.

I peeked into each room before I entered, but to my disappointment and relief, You-Know-Who was nowhere in sight. Checking behind my shoulder every ten seconds I did a rough search in desks and behind lounges. I wasn't really sure of what I was looking for, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

Sliding up my sleeve, I checked my watch. Twelve minutes had passed since I'd left the Dining Room. _Shit. _Quickly as I could I lifted the hem of my robes so I wouldn't trip and hurried to the doorway; the bewitched candles extinguished as I left. A little disappointed with myself at the lack of Death Eater uniforms I'd found, I turned and made my way back down the hall.

_I'm pretty sure that Draco appreciated that I didn't lie to his parents. He cares about them. _I pursed my lips. _But do they care about him?_

I paused as the bust of Salazar Slytherin turned to face me in interest. I was certain that I'd passed this statue before. _So that must mean that… _I spun around to the hallway behind me. _No, it's not that way… _My stare spun around to the hall to the right of me. _No, definitely not. _A door was in front of me, so I entered and was disappointed to see a sitting room that led to yet another hallway.

_Of course. _I grimaced. _If I was going to get lost anywhere, it was always going to be Malfoy Manor._

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Draco

As soon as Ryuu left the room, my parents turned to me.

"Well?" I asked.

"She's not passive; but she also isn't foolish in her authority." This was my mother's way of complimenting someone, she never did it directly. "She knows her place. A valuable trait."

I nodded, and faced my father. "I assume that her family isn't too wealthy, if her parents don't work at the Ministry. What is her social status in Slytherin? Is she in the inner circle?"

His question was difficult to answer, so I simply told a part of the truth. "Well… she's a Prefect."

My father nodded, accepting this as an appropriate reply. It was then that the minor questions began. "What subjects does she excel at?"

"She's quite well rounded. Good at Potions, better with Charms, and well achieved in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"And her wand? What are its components?"

"I'm not sure." My mother pursed her lips at this. I knew I should have asked Ryuu about her wand, but the question had slipped my mind. Wands were important and unique to every wizard. My mother firmly believed that a wizard's wand said a lot about them.

"Does she play Quidditch?"

"No. But she does enjoy flying." I finished, remembering our conversation about broomsticks.

The questions subsided and they both looked at me intently, unblinkingly. After a long silence my father finally spoke. "And what of her… _ambitions?_ " he said in an extremely lowered tone. "Would she ever consider becoming a…" The sentence hung in the air like smoke, nearly choking me. _Ryuu – a Death Eater?! _

But the thought pricked at my mind for a few seconds. She certainly had the potential, except… no, what was I thinking? Ryuu was a muggleborn, why would she work for Him and turn against her own parents? Slowly, I shook my head. My father's gaze didn't leave mine, yet he nodded solemnly. My mother however, frowned ever so slightly as if lost in thought. "Ryuu wouldn't want to hurt anybody," I said simply.

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Ryuu

I felt an immense urge to punch something, but only groaned in frustration as Salazar Slytherin's head turned towards me for the fourth time. "Dammit! I'm walking in circles," I muttered impatiently.

"Well, it's nice to know that my presence is appreciated." The statue said smugly.

I whirled on the spot and glared at the statue. "You could talk? The whole time, you could talk and you didn't decide to help me?!"

The stone face stretched into an ugly sneer. "_You_ didn't ask anything of me, so _I_ didn't assist." The sound of the 's' in the last word was dramatically prolonged, like the hissing of a snake.

I approached and bent down slightly so that I could look it directly in the eye. "Where am I?"

"Malfoy Manor."

I snarled. "_Where_ in Malfoy Manor?"

"Here. Pestering me."

"Very funny. Look, I know you think you're really great because you're the founder of Slytherin and all that jazz, but really you're a statue. You're not even the real Salazar Slytherin."

He closed his eyes in annoyance. "Along this hallway and down the staircase. First door to the right."

"Liar."

His eyes opened. "Only fools expect the truth-"

"-and only heroes declare it." I finished. It was one of Salazar Slytherin's less famous sayings, but I'd done my research.

He frowned at my abrupt burst of knowledge. "Who are you?"

"_A fool_. Now tell me the way to the Dining Room."

His brow lowered and harsh lines appeared around his eyes. "No, I am no hero…. and nor are you." he spat. I straightened and turned away from the statue, along a vast hallway that was a bit darker than the others."Tuus es, hostis" The statue whispered from behind me, his voice echoing off the walls and into my head.

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Ten minutes had passed since I had last checked my watch. I looked around the area with a slight air of calm. It looked the same as all the other halls of Malfoy Manor. A harp leaned against the wall next to me, playing itself. The music was beautiful, and I thought I recognised the tune, but couldn't fit a name to it. _So this is the place where I'm going die. _I thought sarcastically, before my outrage kicked back into gear. _I've been missing for half an hour! Surely they won't just leave me here to rot! Or maybe that was their plan all along…_ I turned randomly and froze. _I think I recognise this hallway. Or am I going mad? Probably the latter; but just to be sure…_

I began to walk, eyes searching for a landmark. A deep green drape, a grey vase, a portrait of a sullen looking wizard who coughed irritably as I passed. _Probably would have remembered him… Oh this is ridiculous! _Perhaps I could call out? And how would I explain myself? What kind of idiot gets lost on her way to the washroom when it's just down the hall from where she started? Plus it would be incredibly embarrassing to have to cry for help. I rolled my eyes and wet my lips. "Draco!" I hissed, not too loudly. "_Draco!" _

"…Ryuu?"

I spun around in shock, partly because Draco had randomly appeared behind me, but also because my futile attempts had surprisingly succeeded. "Draco!"

"…Ryuu?" he repeated, eyes confused.

I smiled. "I don't suppose you know where the Dining Room is by any chance?"

He raised an eyebrow. "On the other side of the Manor, actually. What are you doing _here?_"

"Oh. I came out of the bathroom, and turned the wrong way. I've been trying to find my way back…"

He smirked. "Well, it's lucky my parents sent me out to find you. And also, one of the statues told me that you came this way."

I frowned. "Which statue was that?

"The one of Salazar Slytherin on the third floor."

I concealed my scowl with a smile. _Of course it was…_

Draco led me through what he called: "The Scenic Route," which was obviously the outskirts of the spider's web that was Malfoy Manor. At first I thought the windows were portraits because of their picture perfect complexion. Outside, I could see the gardens, which were just as magnificent as the inside of the building. It was particularly snowy today, but I could still see the black bark sticking out from the branches of the trees. A frozen fountain was placed in the very centre, with stone snakes encircling the three bowls of ice. My gaze flickered to rest on the near invisible form of a pure white creature in the snow. I pointed out the window. "Is that- a reindeer?"

Draco peered outside. "Yes. We bring them out at Christmas time to roam the grounds. In fact, we really should have the elves lock them back up."

I stared at him. "Where do they go for the rest of the year?"

"In the stables; with the albino Easter Bunnies."

My eyebrows raised. "I shudder to think of what you do on Guy Fawkes Day."

Draco's eyes narrowed in question, but I waved away the moment. "Never mind. Muggle stuff." I murmured.

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Draco

The meal was delicious. Roasted pigeon had always been a favourite of my father's, so that put him in a good mood. Thankfully, neither of my parents questioned Ryuu about serious matters. I could see that my mother had taken a liking to her, even though she concealed it well. Father was still impossible to read as usual. Ryuu was very polite and charming, a part of her I'd never noticed before.

Once the meal was over, Ryuu declared the expected statement to take her leave.

"My parents are expecting me home, so I really should be going. Thank you so much for inviting me into your home. The food was delicious. I would be delighted to have dinner with you again." She finished formally, as I took her hand and led her into the fireplace.

"As would we." my mother said to my father's brief nod.

And then we disappeared behind the flames.

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"Well," Ryuu said as we approached her building. "That wasn't so bad."

I smiled, despite the cold wisp of wind that pinched my face. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I did." she said, shifting inside the jacket I'd lent her. She turned to me and smiled. "Thank you, for escorting me back."

"It was my pleasure." Glancing over at her, I saw that she was staring up at her home, eyes filled with longing and I wondered if she had really enjoyed herself. "You did some pretty exemplary lying back there." I remarked.

She paused before her head whipped around to face me. "What do you mean?" Ryuu asked hastily.

"Just the way you were acting." I began, regarding her with concern. Her reaction had been a bit shifty. "It was a bit… different."

A smile leaked across her lips. Her cheeks were pinched pink from the cold. "Well yeah. I was just thinking about all those women in Jane Austen books and figured I should copy their behaviour."

"Who's Jane Austen?"

"Oh she's a muggle author. Actually not a huge fan of hers but I've read one of her books." Ryuu replied. "Besides, you were the same. Pulling out my chair before I sat down, guiding me to the table. Since when did _you _become so gentlemanly?"

I shrugged. "Since it was trained into me."

She scoffed, and I leant down and kissed her. The kiss wasn't too fancy, just a simple farewell note. She stepped forwards, leaning close to get warm. With a final polite peck, I pulled away and smiled. "Was that gentlemanly enough for you?" I asked, stroking a blonde curl behind her ear.

Ryuu had stilled in my arms, eyebrows raised slightly and mouth slack. Then, out of nowhere she sparked back to life. "My parents will probably be freaking out, I'm home late." She blurted, emerald eyes wide and cheeks colouring.

I smirked, lowering my hand from her temple. "I'll see you at school, Princess."

"Yeah." she replied, her eyebrows still flicked upwards.

I waited for the usual reply of _"Don't call me that, Draco!"_ but it didn't come. The winter wind lashed at me like an icy whip as I made my way back to the Leaky Cauldron, casting my eyes back for one last look at her as she walked up to her blue door. I was slightly disappointed to see that she hadn't glanced back at me in return.

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Ryuu

"RYUU ADVENA VEIL! Do you have _any idea_ how worried I was about you?! Have you lost your senses?!"

"It's great to see you too Hermione. How was your Christmas?"

"You could have been _killed_! You-"

"Mine was good too. Not as cold as last year."

"-have _no clue _of what could've happened!"

After Hermione had completed her ineffective rant, I thanked her for her concerns, and told her the news. We were sitting in the kitchen of the Headquarters, and had just offered me a plate of mince pies. I took one gladly while Hermione tucked a curl of her frizzy yet beautiful chestnut hair behind her ear and placed her hands on her hips. "So, nothing happened?"

I shook my head, taking a bite from the mince pie. "No. We just had dinner. Mrs Weasley, these are delightful."

The frumpy ginger woman beamed at me as Hermione bit the inside of her lip. "And what about Lucius Malfoy?"

"He was acting normal; for him anyway." I replied with a shrug before frowning. "I searched the Manor a bit, but didn't find anything interesting. And the Malfoys didn't seem suspicious at all. Creepy and intimidating, but otherwise pleasant."

Hermione's brown eyes flashed with intensity. "Did Lucius Malfoy give you anything?"

I frowned. "He didn't try to force drugs on me, if that's what you mean."

She rolled her eyes. "Ryuu. Did he give you _anything?_ A present? Like a book or any other object?"

I shook my head, eyes narrowing. "No. why would he?"

She looked at me, her face softening. "I think you should talk to Ginny."

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Ginny was in her room with Ron and Harry when we entered. The three of them were seated in chairs by the window, obviously in deep conversation.

"Are we interrupting?" Hermione asked politely.

"A little." Ginny replied smartly.

We entered anyway, and I received several greetings and questions about my holidays. I nodded at their politeness, before recounting my visit to Malfoy Manor. Ron and Harry were listening intently, whereas Ginny's face looked a little distant, as if she wasn't really focusing. "…and then, Hermione told me I should talk to you, Ginny." I concluded, staring directly into her chocolate coloured eyes.

"Well, actually we were just talking about that," Ron added. "We were wondering if Harry was going through the same thing."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Ginny straightened. "Do you remember your second year at Hogwarts? With all that stuff about the Chamber of Secrets and how muggleborns were being attacked?"

I nodded. It had been a scary year. I had been convinced that I would be petrified, but for some reason, I was spared. Ginny shrugged. "Well, guess what…_ I_ opened it."

I stared at her. "Very funny. Only the Heir of Slytherin can open the Chamber of Secrets."

No one moved. Ginny cringed guiltily. _She's being serious. How? _"Lucius Malfoy slipped something in one of my school books when I went shopping with my family in Diagon Alley." She began in a clear voice. "It turns out that it was Tom Riddle's diary."

"Who's Tom Riddle?"

"Voldemort." Harry said automatically, his eyes unfocused.

Again, I spoke. "Who?"

There was a brief pause in which Ginny and Ron's faces contorted into identical expressions of bemusement, Harry's eyebrows raised almost to his hairline and Hermione stood up straighter, fixing me with a shocked expression. "Didn't you know that that's His real name?" Hermione said in amazement.

I stared around at each of them for a moment before my analysis of their reactions clicked in my mind. _Oh, right! You-Know-Who! Except, I didn't know who… _"Well, no," I snapped, a tad defensive. "I grew up in the muggle world, and when I came to Hogwarts no one spoke to me for years. Of course, I knew about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; but I didn't actually know his real name because, well, look at his nickname!" At this Ron laughed. "I mean, I could've asked my friends but I didn't want to look like an idiot…" I felt my cheeks flush red.

Ginny continued. "Well, anyway. The diary contained a portion of You Know Who's memories and power. It manipulated me into doing His bidding. The attacks were left to the basilisk, but I opened the chamber and did the writing on the wall. I also fed the monster, which I was not too pleased to learn about." At my look of confusion, she clarified. "I had memory blanks whenever I did something like that, but when I came back to myself; I usually had blood on my hands. I suppose that I guessed it was me, but I was too scared to do anything… I wish I'd acted sooner." She sounded ashamed of herself when she said this, even though it clearly wasn't her fault.

"Oh." I said dumbly, to break the silence that followed. "So, that's why you were so worried." I turned to Hermione.

She nodded. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I said sincerely, surprised that she had such concern for me. Naturally, Hermione and I had quickly become close during our efforts with the TFT and the DA. We were quite similar, we both enjoyed reading and were both raised in the muggle world. It only struck me then just how much I valued her advice and company. "So you said that you were wondering if Harry was being possessed by him too?"

Ron nodded. "It could be. I mean, you heard about his vision right?"

"Only about the snake attack." I focused on Ron and Ginny, guilty that I hadn't asked earlier. "Is your dad okay?"

"He's still recovering," said Ginny. "He's back to normal though. Today he asked Hermione to explain what kind of metals ceiling fans were made of." I smiled along with everyone else, even though I didn't understand why.

Then Harry shook his head, eyes downcast. "The vision, it was so… _realistic. _I could feel my skin across the floor, I _wanted to_-"

"Hold on," Hermione interjected. "_You could feel your skin across the floor? _That would mean- were _you_ the snake?"

All eyes turned to Harry and he nodded guiltily. A horrible quiet poisoned the room before Harry spoke again. His hand shook as he spoke in a deep, unrecognisable voice. "I feel… _angry._ All the time." Something in my stomach sank. The tension in the room had tripled at this and I briefly felt as if I was in a Stephen King novel.

"Harry. Harry! Look at me." Hermione walked towards him. "You have to tell Dumbledore."

He snarled.

"Please." Hermione said. She was giving him the look that belonged solely to people who've known each other for years. The kind of look that you can't refuse. The look that told the receiver just how much everyone cared about them. Harry closed his eyes, sighing. Unexpectedly, I felt a great wave of empathy towards the guy. Somehow I still couldn't fully comprehend just how much stress he must be under. Every hour of every day, living through that poison in his own head…

But then Harry nodded. Hermione sighed in relief and walked out of the room. Ginny and Ron followed, and I waited for Harry to move. Eventually he stood, and slowly walked towards the door. "Harry." I began, before he could pass me.

He stopped, regarding me with his dulled green eyes. I held his gaze, feeling awkward at the question forming on my lips. "Do you really think Voldemort is doing this?" I asked, dreading that I already knew the answer.

To my surprise, something in his eyes cleared. "You said His name."

I shrugged. "It's just a name, right? It doesn't matter if I use it or not He's still going to want to kill me."

His shoulders lifted slightly. "Happy Christmas Ryuu."

I smiled at him. "Happy Christmas Harry."

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A/N: The albino reindeers; for anyone who was confused by that; was a joke on the Malfoys about them usually having albino peacocks roaming the gardens outside the Manor. I always thought that was really hilarious. I mean, how can you possibly measure the type of arrogance that proudly displays pure white exotic birds for simple decoration?


	16. Chapter 16 - The Phoenix

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Back again! Things start to get a bit more intense from here on in so just… keep your non-existent balls in order. Enjoy.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 16 – The Phoenix

Ryuu

Hogwarts was vastly different from when I'd left it during the Christmas holidays. Now that I was back, I was noticing a more restricted regime in classroom conduct. The Professors rigidly avoided talking about anything outside of class matters; thanks to Umbridge's new decree. The security around the hallways made it increasingly difficult to meet up for DA meetings, thanks to Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. And any activities that weren't directly correlated to study or learning – such as talking casually on the way to class, killing some time by setting off some Filibuster Fireworks or really the general existence of anything fun, were monitored by Umbridge's dogs. It was difficult to find something that wasn't banned anymore.

The sun was setting and the sky outside was blushed salmon. I stealthily continued to stalk Reeah Noseworthy. She'd been acting strange for the past ten minutes; constantly checking to see she wasn't being followed – one time I only just managed to duck out of her sight. Although she was easy to follow. I could hear her hurried breath from a fair distance away. To me, it seemed as if she was heading towards the Ravenclaw Common Room. Extremely unusual. I was just ducking out from behind a pillar to follow Reeah around a corner when I nearly jumped out of my skin._"AYE… RYUU!"_

I spun around, probably looking like a deer in headlights. Zach was swaggering towards me, a lopsided grin stitched on his face and golden eyes gleaming. I felt my mouth hang open as he practically skipped over to me, long lanky limbs swinging stupidly at his sides. "HOW'VE _YOU _BEEN, EH?"

_"Shhh!"_ I hissed at him, swishing my head around to see if Reeah Noseworthy had come back to see what all the noise was about. She hadn't. _"Zach, what the hell-?!"_

"I was jus goin along for an evenin stroll…" He flicked dark hair from his eyes, still smiling. "Fancy seein _you_ here." He began to laugh under his breath, and my nose caught the prominent smell of Firewhisky.

I frowned in disbelief. "Zach, are… are you _drunk?"_

"Maybe I was a couple o bottles ago." He winked, and suddenly sagged forwards, so I had to catch him awkwardly.

I shifted him onto my shoulder, groaning. "Okay – time for bed. I'm taking you back to your Common Room."

Zach did a kind of shimmy so that he could limp along on his uneven feet while I held him steady. "Naww, you're the _best_ Ryuu…" he whispered in my ear.

"Sure." I winced. "Just - don't breath on me. Where did you even get Firewhisky anyway?" I asked as I made my way towards the kitchen, hoping we wouldn't run into anyone from the Inquisitorial Squad. Especially not Draco.

"Found it." Zach drawled, yawning. "Uh – uh – no but seriously, Ryuu – uh – have I ever told you how great you are?"

"You could stand to do it more often." I replied, heaving Zach through a narrow passage.

"Nah but seriously; lissen to me now…" He continued, voice going a bit quieter as I hissed at him to be quiet. "You're like all funny an smart an pretty an cool… ya know? You're like the best girl I know… yeah?"

"Likewise."

"I'm not a girl!" Zach snapped. "I'm like a man or something… but _you're_ a girl – and _I'm_ a boy." We staggered into the Great Hall and I was relieved to find it empty. Struggling I dragged Zach towards the door leading down to the Kitchens. "And like you're pretty – I'm handsome. Maybe we should just… go out or something, yeah? That'd be normal."

I smiled. _Oh Zach… _"Yeah, maybe." I muttered in response as I opened the wooden door.

"I'd be good to you." He rambled on as I clumsily tried to get us both down the stairs. "We could graduate and live together in a homely little cottage in an enchanted forest… with like a water wheel and hens. I'd be a lumberjack and you – _you could have a loom!"_

"You're sexist fantasies sound incredibly tempting." I said as we entered a well lit cellar with torches in brackets on the walls and storage cupboards in the corners. With an immense amount of effort I pushed Zach's tall form off my shoulder. He swayed for a moment on the spot, before remaining upright. "Are you going to be alright from here?" I asked slowly.

He grinned broadly. "Oh you know I will… sure you don't want to help me into bed?" he winked.

I smiled in return. "Goodnight Zach."

As an expression of affectionate thanks he tapped his finger once on my nose, before turning away and barking a slurred password at the brick wall. I walked away before I could see the entrance appear.

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Draco

"And what else has the Inquisitorial Squad noticed Mr. Malfoy?" Umbridge's sweet voice sounded a bit urgent.

"Well, according to the members who stayed here over the holidays, all was normal. No students were sighted sneaking around after hours, and there was no defensive magic being used on the outskirts of the grounds." I informed her. Zabini was a particularly good member of the force.

She smiled and stood. Her pink heels clacked against the floor as she strolled towards the window of her office. "This would indicate that whoever was leading the group had gone home for Christmas. That narrows down the suspects slightly." I hid my smirk. I knew of her suspicions, yet she still concealed them well. She spun around to face me once more. "Well done, Mr. Malfoy. You may leave now." I got up and began to walk towards the door. "Oh, Mr. Malfoy."

I half smiled. She always waited until the last minute. _Probably for dramatic effect. _"Yes?"

Would you please give this to Professor Snape for me?" She held out the envelope in a rose-pink gloved hand.

I slipped the letter into my pocket. "Of course, I'll do so in Potions Class tomorrow morning."

"Oh no, right away if you please." Her brow lifted to a frighteningly high degree. "It is of the upmost importance."

I tried hard to conceal my curiosity as I nodded and left the room.

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Hogwarts looked different at night. It was dark enough to sneak around in unseen, yet the illuminated light from the flames of candles and the glow of the moon made it easy to find my way around. It was also creepily quiet and empty. Occasionally, the light dimmed and noises of sleep flittered through the corridors, but the portraits usually woke with a start when they heard me approach.

I held Umbridge's envelope in one hand and my wand in the other. I had recently tried to open the letter, but it was sealed by magic. Umbridge was obviously still wary. _And she was right to be._

Suddenly, I paused and quickly ducked into the shadows.

Someone was coming.

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Ryuu

My holidays had involved more than stressing over everything that had occurred on the day I visited Malfoy Manor. I'd spent the second last day in Headquarters, in deep discussion with Sirius Black. At first I'd still been wary of Harry's godfather – I mean I had believed he was an insane criminal for nearly three years of my life. But once I'd looked past that, it was to see an incredibly bright, generally good hearted, lonely man. He'd given me a lot of advice and information about some of the influential Slytherin families and told me about a skill it might be handy for me to learn. Legilimency. The ability to gain access to someone's thoughts and memories. To me, it sounded a lot like what Voldemort was doing to Harry, which creeped me out. But it also sounded immensely powerful and useful, which peaked my interest - sinisterly enough.

However, I had waned when he had suggested that I should learn the skill, so that if the need arose, I could use it on Draco. It was one thing to find out his secrets discreetly, confrontation was daunting. _But, he did say that it was a good idea to talk to Snape about it. _Apparently Snape was trained at mind reading, a trait that I had been uncomfortable to learn about.

I'd never minded being in the Dungeons. I was extremely thankful that they were so big. When I had first heard about them, I had worried that they were going to be an underground maze of narrow hallways and confined windowless rooms. But upon seeing them for the first time, I had been relieved. It had also been proved, later in the year, that they were indeed large enough to fit a fully grown mountain troll.

The Dungeons consisted of low ceilinged but spacious halls with inter joining areas of similar appearances lining the sides. A hazy green light from the windows seeped into the space. The entire structure was below sea level, so outside was the endless reaches of the Black Lake. In previous years, if I couldn't sleep, I'd simply look out the windows of my dormitory and see if I could spot a flash of the tail of a mereperson.

I stopped in my tracks. _What was that noise? _I had only heard it for a moment, but it had sounded like someone breathing._"Lumos Maxima." _I murmured.

The light hit his steely grey eyes and reflected back like a mirror.

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Draco

Her mouth widened and I could see that she was about to scream. "Shhh! It's just me! Ryuu, it's _me, _Draco."

Her voice cracked as she repressed her squeal and burst out a retort. "Oh my gosh Draco! You scared me half to death!"

I smirked. "I try my best Princess."

"What the _hell_ are you doing here? And _don't_ call me that."

"I should ask you the same question… _Princess._"

A pair of lights flickered to life from further down the row of classrooms. I quickly grabbed Ryuu's hand as she whispered _"Nox." _And the light from her wand extinguished. I pulled her towards me, concealing her in the convenient shadows of my vantage point. We stood in silence, huddled in the corner of the bricks, lucky that the archway was thick enough to hide both of us.

The footsteps approached; the first pair was lighter, a female or possibly a child. The second set was definitely male. He was tall too.

"Who is it?" Ryuu hissed.

I closed my eyes and opened my ears further. The answer quickly became clear. "Reeah Noseworthy… and someone else." I whispered back.

"How can you tell?"

"Because of her obscenely loud breathing." There was a rustle of clothing and I felt Ryuu slap her palm against her mouth to hold back the laughter that was threatening to break through. It was then that the voices began.

"C'mon Re, Let's go back to the Common Room." _Zabini._

"I'm telling you, I heard something!" Reeah Noseworthy barked back.

"So what? It was probably just The Bloody Baron." Zabini yawned.

"No, there were two voices!"

"Don't worry about it."

"But-"

"Let's go."

I heard Reeah Noseworthy sigh, a sound similar to a raging tornado, before her footsteps quickly followed Zabini's back towards the Common Room. Once we could hear them no more, we both lit our wands. Ryuu didn't waste any time."What was that all about? Why is Reeah being so cautious? And what are you doing here?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You first."

Ryuu's eyebrows raised but her lips remained pursed."No. _I_ asked the questions."

I sighed. "Well firstly, _that_ was Reeah Noseworthy and Blaise Zabini having a minor argument. Secondly, Reeah was being so cautious because she probably thought that she heard some students performing illicit activities. For some reasons she's really been freaking out about catching Ravenclaws doing the wrong thing. And lastly, I am here to deliver a message to Snape. Now, you go Princess."

Seeming a bit shocked at the load of information I had just given her, she replied. "I'm here to see Snape as well. He wanted to talk to me about my Potions essay. And _please_ stop calling me that, it's creepy…"

I raised an eyebrow and ignored her last sentence. "And Snape wanted to see you _now?_"

She sighed. "Well it's kind of a detention because I did badly on my Potions essay." She laughed uncomfortably.

"Oh." I replied, a tad befuddled. I thought Ryuu was good at Potions.

She looked up at me. "So what's all this illicit activities talk?"

_Of course, I'd forgotten. _Ryuu didn't know about the Inquisitorial Squad. For a second I wondered if I should tell her. Well, she mightn't be a huge fan of Umbridge seeing as she had detention with her once, but surely she didn't hate the woman. I roughly outlined the situation, talking about the patrols members had been doing over the holidays and the rebellious groups we were trying to locate. Ryuu listened in fascination. "So, what about the letter?" She asked after a fleeting pause.

"Umbridge wanted me to deliver it to Snape." I finished with a shrug.

She frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

I paused, staring at her. It had seemed important at the time, to keep it all a secret. But Ryuu was a Slytherin Prefect; she of all people was trustworthy. _Besides, she's my girlfriend. _"I… didn't think you'd be interested."

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded, accepting my lie. Or so I had thought. "Is it because I'm a mudblood?"

I felt as if she'd slapped me."What? Ryuu, don't call yourself that."

She looked down at her shoes. "But it's true."

I reached for her hand, angry that she thought so little of me. _"Listen._ That's not the reason. You know it's not. I don't care if you're parents are wizards or not. Okay?" Her fingers squirmed, and I realised I was squeezing her hand. I released her and cleared my throat. There was a long silence in which I didn't look at her, but I could feel her gaze planted on me. Neither of us moved, I could hardly feel my back pressed against the wall.

"Thank you." she said, her green eyes distant.

I couldn't think of what to say so all I said was: "You're welcome."

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Ryuu

_Knock, knock, knock. _

The voice responded slowly and deeply. "…Enter."

We obeyed and Snape paused as he saw Draco and I standing in his doorway. He was wearing his usual outfit of pure black. His office was low ceilinged but wide. The walls were made of stone, and had golden imprints decorated with Latin phrases following the border of the doorways into various potions cupboards. Black leather armchairs were placed on either side of a large circular wooden table which held candles, various quills and books. The candle light bounced over the hundreds of reflective surfaces that gathered dust on the shelves, bottles and vials titled; _Veritaserum, Essence of Murtlap, Elixir To Heal Bleeding Injuries._ Over the fireplace was the disturbing dummy of a stag's head, its eyes almost as blank as Snape's.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of having _both_ of the Slytherin Prefect's disrupt my leisure time?" his eyes never left mine.

I stepped forward, holding his gaze. "I am here for my detention Professor."

His face didn't show any signs of confusion as he spoke again. "And Draco, why are you here?"

"I have a message from Professor Umbridge, sir."

Snape held out his hand and studied the envelope that Draco put in it. "Very well. Leave."

Draco looked at me for a moment, and I smiled reassuringly as he closed the door behind him. Snape held up his hand, before I could speak and pointed to the bottom of his door. Two shadows, which were Draco's feet, were visible against the light from the torches. "Do you have your supplies for your detention this evening?"

"Of course." I spoke loudly, and unzipped my bag.

"Sit." He gestured towards an armchair.

We waited in silence, until the shadows in the slit underneath the door disappeared. Snape stood, staring at me. He looked dominant when he was standing, so I lifted myself from the armchair, despite the fact that my height didn't improve the situation at all.

"Why are you here?" his voice was smooth.

"Padfoot sent me." I said, remembering Sirius's codename.

The Professor snarled. "And what does… _Padfoot _want?" he spat out Sirius's name like it was a disease.

I stood up straighter. "He suggested that you teach me Legilimency. So that, if I need to, I can use it against Draco."

He looked at me as if I had asked him to dance around his office in a tutu. "I think Padfoot seems to have overestimated your potential Miss Veil. Legilimency is a complicated art, not a simple skill that can be learnt overnight." Snape turned on his heel and stalked across the room to stand in front of a shelf behind his desk.

I followed, adamant. "I'm sure I could figure it out if you gave me a chance."

Snape's dark eyes searched the shelves above him but his slick voice remained flat. Perhaps. However, it would be absurd of me to put you through the painful training for no reason."

I frowned at him. "What?"

He turned, face blank."Mr. Malfoy has already been trained in protecting his mind and detaching himself from his emotions at will. His parents thought that this was a necessary education for him to be… protected."

_Protected? So his parents do love him… enough. _Ignoring my obtrusive standing, Snape stalked past me and opened the door to his office, staring at me blankly. It was obvious he wanted be to leave. Grudgingly, I obeyed, stopping when he didn't slam the door behind me. His lip curled. "I assume playing the role of a spy has been fulfilling?" he said in a tone that made me shudder.

I couldn't detect a hint of a pupil in the endless abyss of his stare. "No." I said honestly, before turning away.

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Draco

Unknown to most people, Snape had several storerooms full of potion supplies. Ones that weren't just in the classrooms and his office. As Ryuu kept Snape distracted in her detention, I sneaked deeper into the darkness of the Dungeons, hoping that the night would conceal me and wincing as my footsteps echoed through the empty stone corridors. I held my wand in front of me, the light extinguished. I forced myself to calm down. I still had plenty of time to kill Dumbledore. Only now was a good time to do it because the staff were beginning to lose their authority, now that Umbridge was steadily taking over the school. They'd have their guard down worrying about their position.

_"Alohamora," _I hissed, and the heavy door creaked open. I slid through the gap, not wanting to open the door any further, and illuminated my wand on the broom cupboard around me. Stepping over a pail, I tapped my wand against the brick of the far wall and it melted away to reveal a hidden room. Rickety shelves lined the walls, displaying an assortment of glass jars containing organs – both animal and human. There was a diagram hanging up next to the entrance showing a pyramid of animals and their potioneering properties, starting at the beetle and ending at an elephant. A cupboard rested in the corner, with a hippogriff's skull on top of it.

I walked over to the cupboard and opened the desk drawers one by one, my gaze scrolling over the tubes and bottles and their labels. Bezoars, wolfsbane, gillyweed, monkshood, essence of lily, porcupine quills, dragon's blood, snake skin – some things I couldn't recognise. Finally I reached the bottom draw to find a folded up piece of parchment labelled _'Abrus preactorius'_.

I pocketed it and left as quickly as I could.

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Ryuu

That Sunday, I stayed in my room pretending to sleep late into the morning. When I checked my watch to see that it was well past nine, I arose and sneaked through the small passage connecting mine and Draco's rooms. After listening at the door and knocking, it was clear that Draco wasn't home. Quiet as a spider, I slipped into his room and closed the door behind me.

Draco had been acting odd ever since Friday night when I'd visited Snape. He hadn't spoken to me yesterday – had barely even looked at me. Just stayed locked up in his room all day, hadn't even attended the Prefect's Meeting. And that night, I'd waited in the usual place for him to meet up for our night date but he hadn't showed. So, due to my annoyance at being stood up and the clear evidence that Draco was up to something, I'd decided to search his room. _"Homenum Revelio." _I murmured.

Nothing stirred. Draco was down at breakfast. I thought I'd heard him leave five minutes ago. I had half an hour at the most.

Slipping my wand into my pocket I turned to Draco's desk and began to rifle through the parchment on top. Homework notes, reminders, nothing interesting. I opened the drawers. Spare ink and quills, three nibs. I left the desk and walked over to the bed. It was neatly made. Weird. Draco never did simple chores. That was 'servant stuff'. My eyes swivelled over to the bedside table where I saw the Rubick's Cube, still unsolved.

Next I rummaged through the wardrobe to only find robes, A quick search of the bathroom revealed impeccable normality. Nervously glancing at my watch every minute, I ran my fingers through every crevice in the brickwork of the fireplace. No secret doors. Finally, I stood in the centre of the room and closed my eyes. _If I was Draco, where would I hide something I wouldn't want anyone to find? _When an answer didn't come I tapped my foot irritably, to hear a hollow sound from beneath me. I looked down at the floor, my eyes focusing on the particular brick my foot had been standing on. _No way. _It looked exactly like the brick next to it, which was odd seeing as each brick although made of the same stone was slightly different in its shape or colour.

Feeling like Indiana Jones, I knelt and tapped a finger onto the brick, feeling a strange warmth as I touched it. _A concealment charm. _Tapping my wand onto the brick, a large portion of it seemed to melt away to reveal a square shaped indent in the centre. I fleetingly wondered whether Draco was very clever or very paranoid. I jabbed the tip of my wand into the indent but nothing happened. "_Alohamora." _I tried, knowing it wouldn't work. No this was trickier then a simple unlocking charm. I tried to imagine what Draco might have been thinking as he created this little security trap, and lifted my head to look around the room. _Think, think, think. _My eyes locked onto the bedside table, which was just directly in front of me, but just above eve level. _But Draco's taller than me. _

I rose and carefully stepped towards the table, stare fixed on the Rubick's Cube. My stomach squirming I looked back down at the square shaped indent on the floor. _It's a key._

Snatching the Rubick's Cube I ducked low and pressed it into the brick. There was a faraway low booming sound, like hearing something being dropped inside an aeroplane, and the brick faded away to reveal a small hole. _"Lumos." _Bright white light pierced the darkness and reflected off a large bottle within the hole.

Curious, I reached down and pulled it out. It was a bottle of Hewett and Sons Finest Honey Treacle-Tart Mead, wrapped in a sickly acid green bow that contrasted horribly with the amber coloured glass. _Did Draco win bingo or something?_ I looked down into the hole again to see a small, folded piece of parchment, which I retrieved. Careful not to rip the paper, I flattened it on the ground and unfolded it. Inside were a small assortment of red coloured beads about the size of a pea. Each had a small black dot in the centre like a pupil. I stared down at them with narrowed eyes and glanced back at the bottle of mead to see a small piece of parchment attached to the neck. Still a tad confused, I lifted the tag on the bottle to read the words: '_To Professor Dumbledore.'_

_But why would Draco have this? _I began to think, _it was clearly supposed to be given to – _I dropped the little red bead I was holding, fumbling for my wand. _"Aguamenti!" _I screeched and clear water squirted on my fingertips, although I could see no reaction had happened. _Oh God… _I thought frantically as I returned the bottle to its hole and swished my wand at the red beads so they rolled back into the parchment. I carefully folded the paper up and placed it back beside the mead. _I can't believe this._ I hurriedly replaced the illusion of the brick and ran out the door.

_Poison. That mead was poisoned, and Draco was going to give it to Dumbledore. He was trying to kill him. _These thoughts were the only things that flashed through my mind as I hurried down the steps and out of the Prefect's Common Room. Why would Draco do this? _Don't be an idiot Ryuu, you know why. _I ignored myself as I sprinted past two first years and ran down the corridor as fast as my feet would let me. _He's a Death Eater. He's a Death Eater. Just like his father._ My vision began to blur and I wiped at my eyes irritably, muttering "Idiot."

I stopped, leaning against a pillar, glad this hallway was deserted. My mind raced, thinking so fast my head ached. _Voldemort probably told him to do it – but no, put a mission that important on a sixteen year old boy? Maybe Lucius? _This seemed more unlikely. No matter how much my conscience tried to circle around it there was no denying the possibility that Draco had decided to do this on his own. _Otherwise he would've asked for help. Poisoned mead is a sneaky assassination. _

Blinking rapidly, I stared at the bright sunlight. He was actually going to go through with it. Draco was going to send Dumbledore that mead and kill him. _But what will happen to him now that I've caught him? _The thought stung me. _Will they send him to Azkaban? Lock him away… _My wand felt heavy in my hand. _What if I confronted him? _No, don't be stupid. How would he react? I mentally staggered as I realised what I was thinking and pushed myself off the pillar to stand up straight. Draco was a Death Eater. He was planning to kill Dumbledore. Murder was wrong. It was my duty to do something about this.

I ran my fingers through my hair and pinched my cheeks to appear flustered, then holding my breath I sped around the corner to see Professor McGonagall about to leave the doorway to Dumbledore's office. "PROFESSOR!" I yelled out convincingly, my breath coming out frantically as if I hadn't stopped running until now. McGonagall turned, eyes stony and face pale as I stumbled to a halt. "I-need-to-_speak with Dumbledore!" _I stammered, and without any further explanation she let me pass.

The Headmaster was feeding his phoenix when I entered the room, and turned around to face me wearing an expression of pleasant surprise and a pair of thick woollen socks. "Ah, Miss Veil. Lovely weather isn't it?"

My words poured out in one great rush. "Professor – I was just doing a bit of spying, you know for the mission, when I came across this secret compartment in the floor and inside was some mead and what looked like ladybug seeds or something like that and what I'm trying to say is – _Draco's trying to poison you!"_

Dumbledore took all this in with a blank expression and solemn periwinkle blue eyes. He nodded once then let out a sigh. "So, he's started has he?" he said calmly, as if commenting on the lovely weather.

"Yes, well - _what?!" _I spluttered, as Dumbledore took a seat, face distant.

"Oh I've known of Draco's plans all year." Dumbledore remarked as he waved his hand to offer me the seat before him. I grudgingly accepted, still feeling as if I'd missed something. "It's a shame that he chose to act on them now… the school is in _such_ a critical condition."

I figured I must have looked dumbstruck. Gripping the edge of Dumbledore's desk I opened and closed my mouth for a moment before finally finding the words. _"You knew?_ You've known all year that Draco was trying to kill you and you didn't do anything about it? – You didn't think to tell me?!"

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Well, I wasn't _completely_ certain. I merely made an educated guess. Draco Malfoy, like his father, can recognise opportunity and often feels the need to take things into his own hands. Extremely resourceful traits if he was using them for a better purpose." His tone was kind, as if considering Draco's murderous intentions was something to discuss over afternoon tea. I felt anger bubble within me. "He sees his ascension to serving Voldemort as a way to uphold honour and protect his family. I imagine he would do almost anything to go above and beyond what is expected of him and secure the safety of himself and his parents. Naturally, killing me would grant him this."

_Nothing about Dumbledore is consistent – except his ability to catch me off guard, _I thought spitefully. I stood, not wanting to be subject to Dumbledore's politely offered chair or his piercing, unwavering gaze. "You had all this time and you didn't think to try and talk to him?" I crossed my arms over my chest as I considered the old man with the crooked nose. "Maybe you could've – I don't know – tried to convince him to _not_ be a Death Eater?"

"I'm afraid, Miss Veil, that Draco's mind has been quite made up even before he came to Hogwarts. It takes an immense amount of effort to change someone's attitudes – particularly when they have shaped their life around them so completely and for so long." The Headmaster gave me a meaningful stare. "I'm simply not close enough to Mr Malfoy to do that."

Dumbledore's words echoed through my mind. Slowly, I unfolded my arms and walked over to the chair, taking a seat. _He'd planned this. He wants me to convince Draco to fight against Voldemort. This entire time I've been a piece in Dumbledore's game. _I fought hard to conceal my grimace. Of course he hadn't told me that he'd known Draco was trying to kill him, it would risk my chances of getting closer to him – _plus_, I realised with growing discomfort _he probably wanted to test my loyalty. To see if I did come running to him if I did find out. _I stared into Dumbledore's spectacled gaze, feeling for the first time how it felt to be played; and not liking it one bit. When I was just thinking of a retort appropriate enough to express my anger, he spoke once more.

"There is still time for Draco yet."

I barely had time to register this before the Headmaster stood and walked over to a cabinet behind his desk. As I watched, he retrieved a pair of bright green travelling boots and pulled them awkwardly over his woollen socks. "What are you doing?" I said.

"It's time for me to leave." He replied a bit curtly. 

"What?!" I began to exclaim, "But-"

"We can't have Mr Malfoy trying to kill me. That mead could end up in innocent hands." He flipped a purple and bronze cloak over his robes and fixed his canary coloured hat into a straighter position. "And I have business to attend to. People that I must speak with. I am needed elsewhere."

"You are needed _here." _I said through gritted teeth. "At the school. Protecting the students from Umbridge!"

Dumbledore regarded me seriously, which was difficult considering what he was wearing. "You must tell Severus and Minerva to do their best. Also, I ask this personally of you Miss Veil, look after Harry. If possible – don't let him out of your sight. Voldemort is getting more powerful as we speak; Harry is extremely vulnerable at the moment. Protect him."

"Professor-"

"Protect him."

"I – of course. But-"

"Good." Dumbledore's tone rung with finality. I felt useless as he strode over to his phoenix and the bird jumped onto his wrist, looking proud. Dumbledore cast me one last look and lowered his head sincerely. "Do as I asked and do what you can. The next few weeks will not be easy."

Then, before I could react Dumbledore snapped his fingers and his phoenix let out a loud caw before bursting into flames. The Headmaster also caught alight, and for a millisecond man and bird shone brightly through the crimson flames before they disappeared in a roar of fire. I stood in the empty office, mouth open in shock and eyes wide before turning on my heel and sprinting away to find Snape and McGonagall.

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A/N: Am I the only one that gets really annoyed every time Dumbledore leaves the school when it's about to spiral into crisis? It happens too often.


	17. Chapter 17 - A Knife With A Nib

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: I hate Umbridge more than anyone else in the Harry Potter series. I thought I would feel this way about Voldemort, but no. Although he's a psychopath who can't feel love I still feel a bit of sympathy for him. I mean, at least you know Voldemort's back story – whereas Umbridge is just an unexplained, horrible person. I actually know someone (a teacher) who is a lot like Umbridge. Sometimes, I base some of Umbridge's characteristics s off this particular person. Just, for a bit of background.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 17 – A Knife With A Nib

Draco

_He's gone. Dumbledore's gone._

I cursed myself for delaying. I'd been prepared, ready and waiting for the right moment to strike. For thirty minutes I'd waited around the corner from the staffroom, the mead hidden in my bag and my wand held tightly in my left hand. I'd straightened up as I'd heard the door creak open and Professor Sprout walk out, chatting to Professor Flitwick. This is what I'd been waiting for. All I needed now was for one of them to be alone, and then I'd put them under the Imperius curse and tell them to give the poison to Dumbledore. I'd listened anxiously to their conversation, waiting for one of them to break away.

"Do you have any idea where he might be, Pomona?" Flitwick said in his squeaky voice

"No. He didn't say anything to me."

"Nor to me."

"This is bad." Sprout whispered. "Especially with Dolores-"

"Shhh!" hissed Flitwick. "Not here." He then spoke so quietly that I had to lean closer to hear what he was saying. "We don't want _her_ finding out that Albus is gone. She's bound to realise eventually – but the longer she doesn't the more time we have to do _something_ about this."

I remembered skulking away through dark passages and into an unused bathroom where I threw the mead into the sink, the poison washing away down the drainpipe. With a sharp jab of my wand the bottle was reduced to dust and swished down the sink in a torrent of water. I splashed cool water onto my face, blinking it out of my eyes and shaking my head. _I've failed, I've failed, I've failed._ I had been so close. My hands shook and suddenly I was freezing, though the day was pleasantly warm. _I could've done it. I would've done it… I would've. _But Dumbledore was gone and there was no telling where he was. There was nothing I could do. I'd had my chance and it had escaped me. _I won't screw up again, _I promised myself, clutching my wand so hard my knuckles went white.

I stared into the mirror. My father's eyes stared back.

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Ryuu

**URGENT!**

**THE USUAL PLACE!**

**NOW!**

Despite the urgency of his handwriting, Ron had still had time to hastily scribble the picture of the ferret on the note. I threw the parchment into my fireplace and hurried out the door. Searching hastily to see if anyone was in sight, I sprinted across the Prefect's Common Room and down the staircase. _Voldemort's done something to Harry. That has to be it. _The weight of responsibility Dumbledore had dumped on me sank lower onto my shoulders. How was I supposed to protect Harry Potter; the boy who lives to get caught up in everyone's business? From whom did I have to protect him from? Voldemort? Umbridge? Himself? All of the above? It had only been a few hours since I'd come sprinting out of Dumbledore's office. _This day is just getting better and better…_ I thought darkly.

As I burst through the exit of the Common Room I concealed my quickened pace by skipping along the halls, most people threw me a glance of curiosity before laughing, but I didn't care. Suddenly, I heard Luna's sing-song voice beside me. "Why, hello there Ryuu. It's a nice day for skipping isn't it?"

I flung my head towards her. She too was skipping beside me, and I had to laugh at how abnormal we looked. "Tis a fine day for skipping." I remarked in a mock elegant tone. Luna's presence had obliterated my shitty mood in a matter of seconds and I made a mental note to spend more time with her. I felt as if I'd barely seen her all week.

Her pale blue eyes found mine. "May I ask where you are heading to in such a hurry?"

"What?" I replied.

"Well, usually when I skip around the school, I actually need to get somewhere fast. It's less tiring than running, you see."

"Really?" I asked, thinking about all the times I'd seen Luna dance along the corridors. We passed a portrait of an overweight lady in a pastel pink ball gown who giggled at our childish nature.

"Oh yes. It's quite effective, and plus the vigorous activity adds to the fun." Luna commented distantly.

"It is good fun," I said with a smile.

Suddenly, she spoke softer. "I don't suppose there's something wrong with Harry?"

_Oh my gosh! How does she know everything?! _"I don't know what you're talking about," I skipped lightly over the trick step, and heard an echoed clash as the soles of my shoes slapped against the stone.

"Oh. It's just he's seemed a bit down lately. Maybe the thestrals weren't good for him…"

I opened my mouth to question what a thestral was, but then closed it again. _I can ask her later. _A group of third years jumped to the side at our approach, and we continued to skip. We were getting closer to the Great Hall.

"So what about you, Luna; where are you going in such haste?" I asked her with a slight grin.

"To see Zach actually. I've noticed him acting a bit strange lately. Do you know what's wrong with him?" She whispered, her golden snitch earrings bobbing.

"No," I said instantly, feeling a pang of guilt for lying to her. I slowed as the gigantic doors to the Great Hall came into view, the triangular frames of the Ministry's commandments surrounding them like pearls on a necklace. "But say hi to him from me. I'll see you later Luna."

We stopped and shared a brief embrace, before she smiled and skipped away. I turned, to see Umbridge standing at the door. She was staring directly at me, her smile pleasant but her eyes frustrated. I carefully walked past her, not allowing myself to avert my gaze from her face. I had just gone past her when - _"Hem hem."_

_There it is. The two syllables that make me want to gouge my own eyes out with a dragon's claw. _I paused and looked back at the gargoyle moulded into a semi-human form with an expression of innocence stitched onto my face. "Yes?"

"There is to be no skipping in the school hallways Miss Veil."

I concealed a grimace. "And why is that?" _Because fun is now against the law?_

"It endangers the educational environment of the other students. I am sure you understand." She pressed her lips together so that creases formed from the corners of her mouth and down to her chin.

"Oh yes. I have heard many accounts of severe and violent massacres caused by the frolicking flamboyance of skipping." I tilted my head to the side and flashed a gleaming smile to ease the blow of my incredibly sarcastic retort. I knew I was being stupid, but I'd already taken enough stress for one day and I was done with Umbridge's petty little remarks.

Umbridge returned a smile so horrifying that I physically flinched. "Twenty points from Slytherin Miss Veil. Surely you recognise by now that it is _unforgivable_ to backchat?"

"Oh I recognise what is _unforgivable_… Professor." I flicked my arm out from the cover of my robes in an obvious gesture. Her grin wavered, and I nodded towards her before continuing into the Great Hall.

"Detention, Miss Veil." She said, before I was out of earshot. She didn't need to specify further.

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The Great Hall was practically empty. A few students loitered here and there, but most had gone outside to enjoy the rare sunshine. Thankfully, I couldn't see any of Draco's Circles in sight as I made my way towards Harry, Ron and Hermione."What was Umbridge talking to you about?" Ron asked as I sat down a few feet away from them and pulled out a book.

"My detention this evening." The three of them gave me looks of shock. I shrugged. "She's a victimising hag and I'm sick of letting her walk all over me."

"Your pride is no reason to receive physical pain." Hermione hissed.

"Doesn't matter." I lied. "Anyway, why so urgent? I practically ran down here."

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry with pained expressions. Harry pushed his glasses further up his nose and turned to me, eyes downcast. "Dumbledore's gone."

_So they've heard. _I should've suspected they'd call a meeting about it. "You can't be serious?" I exclaimed in fake surprise. The three of them nodded gravely."Well, where did he go?" I asked.

"We don't know." Hermione said, chestnut eyes narrowed.

I rolled my eyes. "Great." I spat sarcastically.

Harry cracked his neck. "He's probably doing it to lower suspicion about Dumbledore's Army. If he isn't here, then that means he can't communicate with me. It might get Fudge and Umbridge off my case a bit more."

"I hate to break it to you, but that is a very risky move." I said smoothly, using the opportunity to express my actual opinion. "If anything this is putting you and the entire school into more danger."

Harry glared at me and spoke through gritted teeth. "He wouldn't just abandon us here for no reason. Dumbledore must be doing something to track down Voldemort – something important…" When I just rolled my eyes he fired up a bit more. "Which frankly is more than anyone else is doing – _more than you're doing!_"

_You have no idea what Dumbledore would and wouldn't do, _I thought venomously. A strong urge to slap some sense into the boy sitting beside me twitched at my fingers but a little voice in the back of my head whispered: _Protector, remember?_ I changed my tone so that it was quieter and avoided his eyes, looking down at the passage in my book. "Don't snap at me for telling the truth. I rarely do it." Harry sighed, obviously angry at himself for getting so worked up. I changed the subject before he could apologise. "Well, I have some bad news, too."

"Any good news?" Ron asked hopefully. I hated to crush it.

"If you're looking for optimism than I'm not you're girl," I said accurately. As I began to tell them about Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, the hope in Ron's voice wasn't only crushed, but set aflame, thrown off a water fall and onto a poisonous cactus.

Hermione whispered anxiously, biting on her nails; a habit I'd always found frustrating. "Umbridge _knows._"

"Surely she doesn't know everything…" Ron cut in.

"Yet," Harry added.

I turned the page of the book I wasn't reading, gasping as I ripped the corner. I hated to damage a good book. I quickly closed the novel, lest Hermione should see my sin and sighed at the glum faces staring into nowhere."Geez, I'm not optimistic, but I feel like I should say something uplifting."

"Well, go on then." Ron challenged gloomily.

I thought for a moment, trying to string together an appropriate phrase. According to Hollywood this was usually the part where the hero declares some deep, sprawling metaphor that makes everyone determined. I figured it might be worth a try. "Um… okay. How about this? Err… the Hogwarts colours. Yeah – that'll do. Red, blue, yellow, green. What do _three_ of them have in common?" When nobody answered, I continued, lost in my strange theory. "Red, blue and yellow are all primary colours. They're the core. You can't recreate them. So you could say that they're the strongest colours right? Well, if those colours represent Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff which is 99% of Dumbledore's Army, then that signifies our… _strength?_" I finished weakly, glancing around at Hermione's raised eyebrows and Harry's thin mouth.

Ron however, looked slightly interested, blue eyes watching me with curiosity. "And?" he asked.

I stammered, trying to think of how I could elaborate further. "Well… okay then. Then – um… then there's pink! Yes, Umbridge is pink. Which isn't a primary colour, so it can be defeated by the stronger colours… unless of course it's hot pink. Because that shade is really dark, you know? So the point is…" I struggled to find a suitable ending my insane spiel. "Don't set Umbridge on fire." I concluded.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Right?" I blurted, nodding at Ron. "_Hot_ pink. Umbridge on _fire."_

Slowly a grin seeped across Ron's face and he began to laugh, shaking his head. Harry unexpectedly smiled, for which I was glad, however Hermione was frozen in place, staring at me as if I'd just shed light on the mysteries of existence."Seriously Ryuu, you've got to stop trying that." Ron chortled.

"I know…" I groaned as I placed my head in my palm.

"Ryuu…" Hermione was staring at me in amazement as she flung her bag over her shoulder. "You're a genius!"

"Oh, ha ha." I said, but when I was about to complain further, Hermione had already leapt from her seat and was hastily pulling her bag over her shoulder.

"I'm going to the Library!" she proclaimed before hurrying away.

I turned to Ron and Harry who were still giggling slightly at my failed attempt to reassure them. "Does she often do that? Run away to the Library before explaining why?" I said, gesturing to the entrance of the Great Hall, in which Hermione had just flung herself out of in such haste, a passing first year had performed a bizarre movement that resembled a pirouette to regain his balance.

Ron nodded, opening his bag to retrieve a box of Berite Bott's Beans which he handed to each of us. "All the time."

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Draco

"How on earth are you wearing a cardigan today?" I asked her, loosening my tie. The heat had built up, and I was glad to see grey clouds on the horizon.

"I'm a bit cold actually," Ryuu replied, tugging her sleeves down and placing a hand over her forearm. "I might be sick."

"I hope not. I don't want to catch whatever you've got." She scoffed at me, and I smiled. Unlike most girls, who would be offended at my selfishness, Ryuu didn't mind, but that was probably because she was so selfish herself. The river glinted from the rays of the setting sun. She leaned against the window sill, looking out over the rolling hills that guarded the valley, looking extremely pretty in the sunlight. As soon as I'd washed away the evidence and instructed Pansy to inform Umbridge of Dumbledore's absence I'd gone looking for Ryuu. Somehow, seeing her face had been the first thing I'd wanted to do. When I'd found her in her dormitory flustered and cranky, she'd seemed quite happy to see me; which made me think I wasn't the only one having a bad day.

"Well, if you are sick…" I brought out my wand from my pocket. _"Orchideous." _I said, and she smirked as a bunch of flowers erupted from the tip of my wand. I handed them to her and she took them from me, one eyebrow raised.

"You really just gave me flowers?"

"Well, you are sick." I replied.

"Smooth." She said sarcastically, but thanked me for the bouquet anyway.

I smiled smugly. _Every time. _

Out of nowhere, a thought came to me and I lifted my wand to point it at Ryuu. For a few seconds, she didn't notice until her peripheral vision aided her. "What are you doing?" she asked cautiously, eyeing me with a frown.

"Experimenting." I replied with a shrug.

She smiled wanly. "…Please don't transfigure me into a toad. I have things to do, you know."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to turn you into a toad… perhaps a spider?"

She produced a singular laugh that stopped as I lifted my wand to point at her throat. "Seriously, what are you doing?" There was a definite edge to her tone, and her green gaze looked different to how I'd ever seen it.

"I'm just seeing how much you trust me." I said simply, as my wand hovered in front of her nose. She stiffened, and I sensed she was uncomfortable. It was as I had presumed. Even though I was her boyfriend, a part of her was still wary of me. Slowly, I moved my wand to rest against her fore head, watching her reaction. For a few moments, Ryuu stared into my eyes, face blank as I held a weapon to my temple – and then, catching me of guard, she smirked slyly.

I began to wonder why, but it didn't take me long. I felt a sharp prodding in my chest as the tip of Ryuu's wand pressed against my heart. "What are you doing?" I asked, looking down at her unwavering hand.

"Experimenting." she replied sweetly.

We laughed, and I carefully removed my wand, and placed it back in my pocket, just as she did to her own. But I wasn't one to allow her the last laugh. For good measure, I kissed her on the forehead, brushing away her hair as I did; and smirked as she blushed.

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Ryuu

As I sat in the uncomfortable chair in Umbridge's office I suppressed my surge of rage towards the woman by thinking about Hermione's odd behaviour. Why had she hurried off like that? And to the library. There was barely anything in there anymore. Umbridge had moved three quarters of the books into the Restricted Section with the excuse that they were 'against Ministry standards for the education of young witches and wizards.' Almost every book had some mention of dark magic or defensive magic in them, so they had been confiscated. The ones that were left were flimsy junior text books or fairy stories. In protest, Madam Pince hadn't left the staffroom for the past few days declaring to anyone who would listen that she barely had any use as a librarian seeing as the library was completely empty anyway. Which was true. As soon as an area in the castle had been interfered with by Umbridge, students tended to avoid going there, as if it was somehow plagued with the toad's presence. All students except the Weasley twins, who now secretly used the library to 'broaden the business horizons' as they mischievously put it.

Unwillingly I was brought back to reality when Umbridge held out a porcelain teacup in her pudgy hand. "Tea?"

"No thank you." I replied shortly.

"I insist." Umbridge practically hissed at me, pushing the cup closer so that it was directly under my nose.

I glanced down into the cup and then back into her small stare, suspicion worming its way into my mind. "I'm allergic to tea-leaves." I explained convincingly.

Her lips pursed. With what looked like a tremble of suppressed outrage she retracted the cup and placed it on her desk. She then abruptly spun her head around to stare down at me, black velvet bow bristling. "I am fully aware of the illicit activities occurring here at Hogwarts."

I was thankful of the fact that I already knew this. The way she had said it was so simple, so normal. If I'd have heard it by surprise, I might've let my alarm slip past my mask. However, I'd already prepared myself. Despite what Umbridge may think, I was really rather _good_ at lying. "What?"I moulded my face into one of scepticism.

Umbridge's eyes narrowed for just a second before she fired away with the next question. "You, of all people, know of what I speak." Strangely enough, her tone hadn't sounded remotely girlish. _Her composure is slipping. She's really pissed. _In response I frowned, confused. _She knows too much._

"Was that not Miss. Lovegood you were conversing with today?" She snapped.

I paused for a second before answering, making my tone light."Yes."

"And _why_ were you speaking to her?"

"Because; she's my friend." I said, adding a defensive edge to my tone to sound genuine.

Something in Umbridge's right eyelid twitched, and her voice sounded painfully forced. "And what of your friends in Slytherin?"

I could see that she already knew the answer to that so I refused to reply. I hated when people asked questions they already knew the answer to. It was completely unnecessary and a waste of my time and patience, which were already limited. She sighed and sat down in plush pink her chair. "You are a clever girl, Miss. Veil" Again, with her use of words. Calling me 'girl' as if I was a silly child. I chose not to respond. She smiled and cleared her throat(_hem hem_). "Surely you wouldn't doubt my ability to learn secrets?"_Shit. Does she know about the Order? Does she know about my affiliation with them? _My face remained blank, but I raised an eyebrow."I've seen you and Mr. Malfoy together." She concluded, smiling maliciously in a very Pansy Parkinson like way.

_Okay, that's creepy. _"Pardon?" I said innocently.

Her devilish grin never left her lips. I suppressed the temptation to snarl. "The two of you are… an item."

The last person on earth I wanted to talk about this with was Umbridge."I suppose – but what has this got to do with anything?" I asked a tad rudely, trying to think of what she was leading to.

"I just think its… _peculiar._ I wonder if he knows of your rebellious actions. You are going against the views of your _entire house."_ Her eyes flickered to mine through the steam from her tea. _She's threatening me. She knows about Dumbledore's Army. She knows that I'm involved. She can also connect that Draco has no idea of my participation. Thankfully, she doesn't know that I'm working for the Order. Let's keep it that way._

I was afraid that this would happen. Draco cannot learn about me being a part of the phalanx that was the DA, and by extension, the Order. Under no circumstances. That would lead him to not trusting me. It would jeopardise the entire mission. And knowing Draco, I could be put into serious danger. Also, the Death Eaters would find out that we are plotting against them and war would begin, earlier than we had planned. _It's all me. If I screw this up, everything fails. _I took a deep breath.

"Perhaps I've misunderstood you. Yes, Draco and I are dating. No, I am not taking part in any illicit activities. I haven't done anything wrong. So, why am I here?" I said the last part quite quickly, like I actually was being honest.

The china clinked as she delicately placed her teacup into its designated rim on the saucer. "You will write the word: _Traitor_." Her head tilted to the left ever so slightly, like a bird considering a worm. When I made no movement, she indicated to the parchment in front of me, the smallest of smiles carved on her smug face. "Please begin." She chimed.

The scars stung as they reopened and I etched a new word into my flesh.

An hour later, once my sleeve was completely soaked in blood, Umbridge indicated that I could stop. The inner skin of my arm was burning, and I wanted desperately to stop the blood flow, but refused to show weakness in front of her. _Hermione was right. I do have too much pride._

"That will be enough for today, Miss Veil. I will see you here on Wednesday."

I hid my cringe. _This is going to be an ongoing punishment. _With difficulty, I picked up my bag with my right arm only, so as to avoid strain on my injured limb. Umbridge smiled as I struggled to sling the strap across my body with this method, so instead I hung it flimsily over one shoulder. I was almost out the doorway before-

_"-Hem hem."_

_What now? You've already tortured me. _"Yes?" I said, focusing on keeping my voice light-hearted.

"It will take longer than a week for those scars to fade." The message was clear. _Don't tell anyone about this. _I looked down at my arm, knowing that the word 'traitor' would be visible beneath my sleeve.

"I know." I replied.

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Red water splashed the porcelain of my sink as the tap blasted soothing cold liquid onto my cuts. I winced at the shock of seeing the wound, and quickly covered it with a towel. _What did Hermione give me the first time? _I raced through my memories. _Essence of Dittany? No, no, it was something else… _cursing as the towel showed a dark blood stain, I flung it into the bathtub. _I could go to Snape. He wouldn't tell Umbridge. But he would heal them completely. She'd recognise that I had gone to a member of staff for assistance, and that'll just make things worse. _

My eyes focused on my trunk. _I'll just have to deal with this the muggle way. _For the first time in my life, I was thankful for my mother's job. Even though she worked long hours, and it made it difficult to have a mother, she was a doctor. And if there was one thing that doctors insisted on doing, it was supplying their daughters with first aid kits even when she goes to a school of magic. I hastily found the small aqua coloured case and opened the zipper. _Alcohol wipes. _I tore one open using my teeth and my right hand and smeared it across the scars.

"Ow!" I gasped, as I realised I was supposed to be gentle with these. My arm was stinging, but the blood was clearing away and I knew this would prevent infection.

I searched the case for bandages; and couldn't help but smile as my eyes fell on two rolls. _I love you, Mum. _I unfurled one until it was extended to about three feet, then used a simple cutting spell to release the cloth.

_Now's the tricky part… _I thought as I held the bandage in one hand and displayed my cuts on my left arm. Again, I used my teeth to hold it taunt as I clumsily spiralled the bandage around the scars. My grip slipped a couple of times, but I managed to retrieve the fabric in the most ungraceful way possible, using my teeth as a clamp.

Finally, the pressure was applied, and the bandages secured. I inspected my handiwork. _Mum would be pleased. This actually doesn't look to bad._ I stopped my thought before it progressed. _No, Mum wouldn't be pleased at the fact that I'd just been tortured for information, but I thought that my first aid knowledge was growing. _I groaned. _I must be going mad._

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A/N: Hermione does run off to the library a lot without explaining herself. I mean seriously, if you've just had a great epiphany than wouldn't it be polite to share this knowledge with your friends before you sprint away?


	18. Chapter 18 - The Silver Snake

DISCLIAMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Things are coming to a climax now… I'd like to know what you all think. What do you think will happen in the next few chapters and in the end? Whoever guesses the closest theory wins a cookie. (Well, a virtual one.) Competition closes tomorrow!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 18 – The Silver Snake

Draco

Three weeks had passed since Umbridge had been declared Headmaster, and there were still no discoveries of any groups based purely on rule-breaking. Umbridge had performed private questionings with all of the Weasels, Granger, Potter, that loony girl in Ravenclaw and several other students. None had told her anything. All had come out with grim faces. A few of the younger ones were even tearful, their arms crossed over their chests as if they were hugging themselves.

_The Daily Prophet_ had reported the mass break out from Azkaban, as father had told me it would. I suspected that he had assisted in this, but dared not ask him about it. Umbridge was scanning all the mail now, whether it was from inside or outside the school.

The headmaster's voice sounded through my Inquisitorial Squad Badge. She had devised this system among the entire squad, so that we could receive private orders from her.

"_All Inquisitorial Squad Members will bring ANY students to my office if they are seen walking around the school after hours._

_All Inquisitorial Squad Members will bring ANY students to my office if they are seen walking around the outside areas and grounds after hours or when there are no Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures classes running._

_All Inquisitorial Squad members will bring ANY students to my office if they refuse to follow my orders._

_All Inquisitorial Squad Members have the ability to deduct points from ANY house if a student in that house disrespects my authority._

_No exceptions."_

The voice silenced, and I looked up. None of the people around me had heard the broadcast. They were all looking down at the ground, dragging their feet behind them. The halls were practically empty anyway, with so many people snooping around and hiding in abandoned classrooms, taking the time to feel sorry for themselves.

I'd never heard Hogwarts so quiet.

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Ryuu

"Where are we going, Draco?" I whispered as we sneaked up the stairs, being careful not to tred on each other in the darkness.

"Almost there," he murmured back. Suddenly, Draco stopped and pushed open a trapdoor in the roof above us. He clambered upwards, then reached down a hand and in one swift movement, pulled me up through the trapdoor and into the cool night air.

"Whoa," I said softly as I looked up at the sprawling night sky, so clear it looked like a liquid pool of stars. The moon was a thin crescent sliver in the distance, a silver bow with no arrows. If there was one thing in the world I found truly mesmerising, it was the night sky – particularly at Hogwarts. "How did you find this place?" I asked.

"I like heights." Draco replied smoothly, and with a start I noticed he was standing right beside me.

"It's beautiful," I said lowly, looking over the stone crenellations at the grounds below and the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

"Yes," Draco responded, although I could see in the corner of my eye that he wasn't looking at the sky or over the battlements at all.

I shifted awkwardly as the word _traitor_ twinged painfully on my arm; then quickly averted my gaze from the stars above to look around the tower. I raised my eyebrows as I noticed a red tartan blanket and what looked like – "Is that a picnic basket?"

Draco walked over to the blanket and knelt down, speaking slickly. "Apparently on normal dates, couples enjoy a day in the sun – sitting on the grass, drinking tea and eating watercress sandwiches."

"How extraordinarily ordinary," I added as I sat down next to him on the blanket.

Draco threw me a contemptuous look. "If that's equivalent to _boring,_ than yes," the corners of his mouth twitched into his customary smirk as he opened the basket. "So, I thought we'd start a new trend." He said as he retrieved two small bottles from the basket.

"Firewhisky?" I said with faint surprise. _Where is everyone getting this stuff? _

"You don't like it?" he asked, handing me a bottle nevertheless.

"Never tried it." I remarked truthfully as I tapped the tip of my wand on the cork and it rocked out, shooting into the darkness with a loud _pop._

"You're the epitome of innocence, aren't you Princess?" Draco remarked with scorn as he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a righteous swig.

I flushed, but assumed a mocking tone. "You're right. I dare not drink this wily liquor; lest my senses fog with befuddlement and you - _unruly sir_ – take advantage of frail, swooning, me." And, following in his example I swallowed a huge mouthful of the whisky, wincing at the spicy tingling on my tongue and turned to face him. "Don't call me that." I hissed for what felt like the hundredth time.

And for the hundredth time, Draco ignored me. "Am I completely devoid of chivalry to you? I would never take advantage of drunk woman." He replied, sounded offended. For a moment I felt a twinge of guilt before Draco shrugged and said, "Only desperate, lonely, sad ones that cry on my shoulder."

I threw him a reproachful look. "And how is _that_ better than taking advantage of a drunk person?"

Draco lowered his bottle, although he'd barely drunk half. "I don't know about you Princess, but slurred speech and potential vomiting isn't much of a turn on for me."

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to bring up the Princess thing, and responded scathingly. "And crying girls are a turn on?"

A sound of amusement escaped Draco's lips. "Of course. Nothing like a weeping damsel."

Pulling my knees up to my chin, I shook my head and sighed, placing my Firewhisky on the floor – _roof?_ – beside me. "I can't decide if you're a complete jerk or just playing with me."

Draco's silvery grey eyes glinted like stars. "What does it matter? Either way you enjoy it."

I felt myself flushing and quickly broke eye contact, feeling Draco smirk in victory. There was a brief silence before the word _"Darn,"_ escaped my clenched jaw and with laugh, Draco pulled me towards him, lips on mine. For a few seconds all I was aware of was the prominent taste of Firewhisky. Then, involuntarily, I leaned closer to encircle my arm around his neck, the word 'traitor' flashing through my mind. But now I could feel Draco's heart beating rapidly and the scars on my arm burned out of my thoughts. Suddenly the chill of the night's cool air had vanished to pleasant warmth. The smell of whisky was replaced with a refreshingly cool scent; like pouring rain. I barely noticed that Draco's fingers had traced down my spine to the hem of my shirt. _Huh? _I though vaguely, as his finger tips brushed the skin of my lower back. _Wait…_ I stilled as Draco's hand began to travel up the back of my shirt – _No. Death Eater. What am I doing?_

Horribly slowly I pushed myself away from him. Draco's eyes widened and he quickly removed his hand as I shook my head, slightly out of breath. I managed to say, "No…" at the precise moment that Draco muttered "I'm sorry."

_What was that? _I thought frantically, drawing my knees up to my chin again and hiding my hands so Draco couldn't see them shaking. I cursed myself for my rashness. _Remember Ryuu. You must remember. He's a Death Eater. _My jaw clenched. _That's all he is._

"What's wrong?" Draco asked in a tone so soft I felt my insides melt.

I spent a long time trying to think of an answer, thought cycling through my head in an insane loop. Eventually, I settled on my immediate response. "I just… can't."

A painful silence thickened and curdled on the rooftop, only broken by the faint whistle of the wind and the distant hooting of an owl. Finally, Draco found the words. "Why not?"

_"Because,_ Draco…"

"Because why?"

"Well," I stammered, thoughts swirling in my mind so my head ached. "I… I-"

"Ryuu-"

"Because I'm scared okay!" I snapped harshly, before blinking and realising what I'd said a heartbeat later. 'I mean…" but my voice trailed off in pursuit of an unknown answer.

"Are you afraid of me?" Draco began, eyebrows flicked upwards. "Because I don't bite." He smirked. "Well… maybe a little-"

"No, no… it's not you I'm afraid of." I said as blood red eyes, the rumbling sound of subway trains and a silver serpent's head flicked through my brain like a sickening slide presentation. Again, I felt a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach; like a leaden weight increasing in mass with every word I said.

"Well, what is it then?" Draco asked, watching me with sceptical eyes. "What's wrong?"

I felt as if I was hearing my words pour out of a stranger's mouth in my voice. _"This._ This is wrong." _What are you saying Ryuu? _"You've hurt me before. Whispering mudblood as I walked past-"

"-Don't call yourself-"

"-And your friends have done truly _awful;_ bordering on _inhumane_; things to me over the years!" I exclaimed, voice firm and suddenly feeling angry.

"Like what?" Draco snarled, voice rising slightly.

"Well –" I stammered, not wanting to go down this path. "Just you know… jinxes and name calling, refusing to acknowledge me as a human being…" Draco's expression clearly showed that he didn't think this was 'bordering on inhumane'. Feeling my burst of rage peak I suddenly babbled on. "You have no idea what it's like sharing a dormitory with people who are determined to make your life a living hell!" I said in a dangerously quiet tone. "For one _particular_ spot of fun, I was woken up at one o'clock in the morning when Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass poured a bucket full of pig's blood all over me while I was asleep." My tone had been angry, but when I remembered back to the awful crashing weight jolting me into wakefulness and the stench of the blood covering me, I heard myself sound very distant. "When I'd stopped screaming they said: _Even this swine's blood is purer than yours."_

I stopped speaking, feeling Draco's widened gaze planted on me but not wanting to look at him. _I can't believe I just told him that. _That had been one of the worst things Pansy and her gang had ever done to me. I'd never told any of the teachers or even Luna. It had taken me weeks to finally get rid of the smell from my sheets and even longer to sleep in my bed. I'd taught myself how to transfigure objects into mattresses just so I could sleep somewhere away from Pansy. Crossing my arms over my chest I banished the memories from my mind. I hated think about young, vulnerable Ryuu.

Numbly, I realised that Draco's hand had found mine and decided to stare at that instead of his face. "How do you think they'd react if they ever learnt the truth?"

After what felt like an age, Draco replied, "That is none of your concern."

Feeling empty, I switched my gaze to Draco's face which was stony and unreadable. "And your parents? What about them?" My voice sounded strangely low. "Draco, what would your father think if-"

"That is none of your concern." He repeated hastily, but clearly. I'd noticed he'd stiffened slightly when I'd said the word 'father' and felt a horrible squirming feeling inside.

Without letting the words process first, I whispered, "He does hit you doesn't he?"

"That is _none_ of your concern!" Draco's voice had been close to a yell and I felt Draco's hand tighten around my own, so that my hand hurt.

My eyes didn't leave his and I kept my face blank. Grudgingly, I felt the logical gears in my brain begin to click together again and I instantly analysed his reaction, pushing my emotions aside. For a full thirty seconds we merely glared at each other, Draco's grip on my hand tightening as each second ticked by. Then, with a tone I kept very cool, and my expression as blank as I could muster I spoke. "Draco. Let go of me… _now."_

Something in his eyes shifted and I got the distinct impression that he hadn't realised he was hurting me. Still glaring at me, his grip loosened and I hastily slid my hand away, stood up and climbed down the trapdoor, slamming it shut behind me.

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Draco

Angrily I threw the bottle of whisky across the roof so it shattered on the stone. _I hate her. Beautiful, all-knowing, frigid Ryuu Veil. _I stood up and stalked to the edge of the roof, staring gloomily out across the dark grounds. _How dare she. How dare she talk to me like that. About my father._

My gaze flicked back to the trapdoor which she'd angrily slammed shut. Unwillingly, I remembered what Pansy had done to her, the horrible expression on Ryuu's face as she'd spoken about it. _No. I will not apologise. She had no right to threaten me like that._

_But she didn't threaten me,_ a small part of me admitted. _She stated a fact._

_A fact that she had no right to speak of, _I thought bitterly as I thrust my wand out of my pocket and waved it towards the blanket and basket so they began to pack themselves up. _Why did she say that?_

_Because she cares about you._

Again I stared angrily at the closed door, arms folded firmly over my chest. With an unpleasant pang of guilt I realised that I'd hurt her hand. I cursed under my breath. _Jerk._

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Ryuu

Even though everyone was gloomy, we still got thrills at the prospect of a DA lesson. Duelling someone really took the anger out of you, and since two nights ago, I'd found myself brimming with enough anger to take down three people at once. _I'm such an idiot. _I kept reminding myself at random intervals throughout my day. No doubt I'd ruined any further prospects of learning anything else off Draco. _I've failed. _A shadowing sense of guilt lurked behind me wherever I went, not at all helped by my consistent visits to Umbridge's office every three nights.

The scars on my arm were frustratingly prominent. It had been weeks now. Umbridge still hadn't been able to get any information out of me, but I feared that my supply of first aid was diminishing. It was only a matter of time before I would have none left. I knew I couldn't confide in Hermione for help, because she would instantly lecture me about doing this and try to stop me. And I couldn't let Umbridge win. Besides, there wasn't much I could do now that the toad had an unwavering control over almost the entire school.

But as soon as I walked into the Room of Requirement, and caught sight of Zach, Dennis and Luna, I felt a bit better. All of the members had gotten really good now. There were some surprising standouts, like Neville, who could disarm someone from the other side of the room. And Dennis, who could make a shield so strong that it could last the entire lesson and no one was able to break it.

"Alright," Harry said as he stood in front of the crowd of eager faces. The group was considerably larger than when Dumbledore's Army had begun. "I was thinking, that because of everything that's been going on lately, we could do something special today."

He pointed his wand towards the ceiling and many people looked up to see what he was casting at. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, breathing steadily. In a clear, crisp voice he said, "_Expecto Patronum." _ A spectral stag reared out of his wand and trotted around the room. It produced a raging white light that hurt my eyes to look directly at. Several whispers of awe and excitement flitted around me.

"A patronus charm can deflect dementors," Harry began. "To cast one, you'll need to think of a memory. A happy memory, it has to be strong, strong enough so that it fills you up…. anyone got a memory?"

There was a millisecond of deep thought and silence before most of the crowd threw their hands up excitedly and said: "I have one!"

Harry grinned. "Good. Now, I want each of you to separate. This is an individual exercise."

I parted from the crowd, drifting over to a darker corner of the voices in the room moved like an ocean, lapping at the surfaces and smooth like the waves. Everyone was focused, or at least trying to. Harry's stag was still floating close to the ceiling, and I could see that he was watching it with a rare smile.

Returning my focus to the task, I pointed my wand at the ceiling like Harry had done, and tried to think of a happy memory. I hadn't planned to come in here and be cheerful instead of venting my rage. _Okay, um…ooh! That time when it was Dad's birthday, and when Mum was lighting the candles, the tips of her hair caught fire. She freaked out and shoved her head in the sink. Dad and I couldn't stop laughing._

I giggled at the memory. Sadistic as it may sound, it was more of a 'you had to be there' kind of moment. I closed my eyes and focused on the smell of smoke, the glare of the birthday lights off the balloons; Dad's reading glasses askew from chortling…_"Expecto Patronum."_

Nothing happened.

"Hmm…" I said to myself. "Perhaps not." I went through my head again, this time looking for specific pinpoints in my life. _Of course! _I realised almost stupidly, _When I first saw Hogwarts!_ I breathed deeply. The harmonious movement of the oars through the water. The silence of children staring in amazement. The magnificent castle silhouetted against the pale pink sky… _"Expecto Patronum."_

Nothing happened.

I rolled my eyes and looked around. Ron's Jack-Russel patronus was chasing after Hermione's handsome otter. Luna was giggling at her hare which sat on top of her head, its ears pricked upwards. George's monkey was trying desperately to capture the attention of Fred's lemur, which was whizzing at a dangerously fast pace around the room.

I stared at the wall in front of me, my reflection stared back. _A memory, a memory, a memory… but does it have to be something that happened? What about something that could happen? _

I cleared my throat. Umbridge walking along the corridor. She slips on a banana peel. She falls down a never-ending staircase and you can hear her wails from the greenhouses. "_Expecto- _No. That's just silly…" I groaned. There had to be something. Luna's Christmas hair. All of us sitting around at lunch, sharing Zach's cauldron cakes. When I went to visit Luna's house over the holidays. Dennis deflecting Hermione's jinx in this very room, and the look of utter bewilderment on his face. _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Nothing happened. I sighed in frustration.

"You alright, Ryuu?" Harry asked as he walked towards me. His tone was rather incredulous and even a little bit smug. I usually caught onto things quite quickly.

"Yeah." I said, annoyed. "I can't seem to find a memory."

He crossed his arms. "I had the same problem the first time too. What have you tried so far?"

"My mum's hair on fire, arriving at Hogwarts and Umbridge falling down the stairs." I said quickly.

He lowered his brow. "Your mother's hair caught fire?"

"Momentarily."

He did a Lupin-sideways- nod and asked, "What about the Umbridge thing?"

"Oh, that one I made up."

"Right," he laughed. "Well, how about you try this. Think of a person. Someone that makes you instantly happy whenever you see them. Have you got your person?"

"I think so," I said slowly.

"Okay, now think of a place. It might be somewhere you've always wanted to visit, or somewhere you go every day. The point is, the place has to be your favourite place in the world."

I raised my wand. "And then what?"

"Then," Harry smiled. "Think of the person in that place. They can be just there, or they can be talking to you… just give it a shot."

I nodded and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. Darkness. Spider webs. The singing of the wind outside. The warmth of his hand in mine._"Expecto Patronum." _

Beautiful silver light streamed from the end of my wand and spiralled through the air around me. A long winding creature slipped out from the tip and swam through the space, ducking under itself to face me. Its head tilted as it made eye contact with me.

A silver snake.

The serpent's scales gleamed as I reached out to touch it, but my fingers passed through its body like a ghost. A white tongue flickered out from its mouth as it slithered around me, like it was moving through water, encircling me.

_My_ silver snake.

"That's excellent, Ryuu. A strong patronus, that is." Harry beamed at me, before turning away to help Neville.

I looked back at the snake, and its eyes stared into mine. They were shining, probably through a trick of the light. I released the magic, and the air shifted as my patronus disappeared. I realised that I'd held in my breath and released it. I was happy, but that wasn't the reason why I couldn't stop blinking. I hastily returned my wand to the pocket of my robes and loosened the tie around my neck, my brief spur of happiness beginning to dwindle into a feeling that made me feel slightly ill and my head ache.

_It can't be…_

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As I was walking quickly through the corridors towards the Prefect's Common Room my mind was plagued by my patronus. I was so lost in thought, that I nearly became lost in direction and found myself about to walk down the wrong corridor. Dimly, I turned around only to jump in surprise as my eyes fell on the short figure standing smugly at the end of the hallway. Pansy Parkinson, sneering, hands on her hips, Inquisitorial Squad badge gleaming on her chest and dark eyes glinting dangerously

"What are you doing here, _Prefect?"_ she spat out the last word loudly, face contorting in disgust.

Keeping my own expression blank, I picked up my pace, moving forwards without my gaze leaving Pansy. "Walking. Is that against the rules now?" My hand slid to my pocket where my wand was and closed around the handle.

"Watch your mouth _mudblood!"_ She shrieked as I steadily got closer. "Ten points from-" she began, before her cheeks flushed as she realised her mistake. I raised my eyebrows in amusement and Pansy hurriedly pointed a finger at me. "Detention. For spreading filth throughout the castle." Her frown turned into a triumphant leer.

_How charming. _My eyes flicked up and down her body and I shrugged innocently. "It's not _my_ fault where you walk." I continued on, and was just about to walk past her when her sharp whisper stopped me in my tracks.

"I know what you're up to. Sneaking around, listening to our conversations. I want to know why. But more than that – I want you to know this." I swivelled my head so I could see her intense eyes fixed on me and her scowl widen. _"Stay away from my boyfriend._ I don't know what you've done to Draco; but if you don't put a stop to it I will, you ugly muggle bitch-"

Quick as a viper I whipped my wand from my pocket and stunned her right in the chest. She was rocketed backwards and landed with a resounding _oomph_ against the opposite wall. Before she could lift her wand I swooped down and planted my foot on her wrist so her wand rolled from her grip. I looked down into Pansy's face positively livid with rage and smiled cheerfully. "Now for my warning."

"You'll pay for this, mudblood-" but I applied pressure onto my foot and she groaned in pain.

"You, are to leave me _alone," _I hissed, "and stay away from my boyfriend." Pansy had just opened her mouth to speak when I pointed my wand at her forehead and murmured _"Obliviate." _I wasn't going to have her running off to Umbridge again. Or Draco. I held the charm long enough to erase the last three minutes from her mind, then as her eyes were still glazed in illusion, dragged her to her feet and stood her in the middle of the corridor. I'd just turned around the corner when I heard her vacant confused mutterings from behind me.

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Draco

As Ryuu entered the Prefect's Common Room, her green eyes met mine and held for a few seconds, although it felt much longer. Then, without saying anything she turned on her heel and made her way to the door leading up to our dormitories. I jumped up from the lounge and hurried over in pursuit. "Ryuu."

She purposefully tried to shut the door on me as I approached but I pushed it open. Ryuu glared down at me, standing a few steps above and for once taller than I was. "Not now, Draco."

"Just let me talk to you."

She said nothing, but turned and continued up the stairs. I followed, not stopping even when she entered her room and released her blonde hair from its clip. Again her emerald eyes fell on her me and she sighed. "Listen, I just don't want to talk right now-"

"-I'm sorry about the other night." I began, ignoring her. "I was a jerk."

"Well there's one thing we can agree on." She replied coldly, but her eyes had changed from pinpointing me in place to listening.

I stepped closer, but she crossed her arms over her chest, adamant. Repressing a smirk, at the disapproving look she was giving me, I continued. "It's just; what you said made me really angry because-"

"-It's true?" she finished in a prickly tone.

I paused, my eyes sweeping over her disgruntled body language. "Well… yes-"

"-Well then, maybe you should leave. Wouldn't want Nott or Zabini to see you here now would you?" she snapped, eyes green flames.

It took an immense amount of willpower to swallow my frustration. "That's not what I was going to say. If you'd just let me finish-"

"-Your sentences?" she interrupted, one eye brow raised. "Why should I when you're just going to make some snide remark and make me feel-"

"- I didn't mean to hurt you." I continued, despite her coloured cheeks. "And I never want to again-"

"-Sounds a bit hard for you-"

"-Could you just for one second listen to what I'm trying to say to you?" I blurted, stepping forwards again so that there was only a foot between us.

Her face softened slightly and her arms dropped to her side. "I can't stand this anymore. Just break up with me and get it over with."

I blinked at her, incredulous. "I'm _not_ breaking up with you." I said, and her face changed into an expression I couldn't detect. "Why would you think that?"

For a second she merely stared at me, mouth a little slack before stalling and speaking in a hasty voice. "Well I don't know! Maybe it's because you haven't spoken to me for the last two days or maybe because all your friends would hate you if they ever found out-"

"-Don't you get it?!" I yelled, splaying my arms out in annoyance. "I don't care what they think, Ryuu! All I care about-" my voice died in my throat. Ryuu was looking at me as if she'd never seen before. The silence clouded around us until eventually I couldn't stand it any longer and stared right back into her startling green eyes, finishing in my normal tone. "-is you."

It was strange to see Ryuu so silent. As I watched, she broke eye contact with me, looking around the room like she couldn't remember how she'd arrived here. Very slowly, she took a step closer and looked up into my face again, clearly trying to decide what to say. A singular blonde ringlet had fallen over her eyes so I brushed it behind her ear. Suddenly, Umbridge's crisp high pitched voice burst from the steel of my Inquisitorial Squad Badge and Ryuu jumped in shock, gasping. I looked down in confusion as the voice said: "_All Inquisitorial Squad members are to begin their patrol immediately."_

"Um…" I said as I looked down at Ryuu's still shocked expression. "I've got to go."

"Right." She replied and quickly stepped away tucking her hands behind her back. "I'll see you later then…"

Feeling like I should do something, I planted a kiss on her cheek before turning for the door, leaving Ryuu staring after me.

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Ryuu

For a few seconds I stood there, silent and trying to think before I heard a noise behind me. I snapped my head around. My bathroom door was ajar, and I strongly remembered closing it before I left this morning. I'd already begun to reach for my wand in my pocket when I noticed a pair of wide chestnut eyes peering out from the gap between the hinges and the wall.

_"Hermione?"_ I said, aghast.

With a long drawn out creak, the door opened wider and Hermione stepped out from behind it, face creased in guilt and shifting uncomfortably. "Um… hi Ryuu."

I felt as if every nerve in my body had frozen in place in horror. "What are you doing in my bathroom?" I said in a dangerously low voice.

She chewed on the inside of her lip, watching me anxiously. "Well, I was going to deliver this…" she held up a small slip of parchment with a hand drawn ferret in the corner. "w-when I heard voices coming up the stairs. And, well-" I didn't say anything, but could hear my breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. Hermione paused for just a moment. "I-I heard what you and Draco were talking about-"

"-Get out." I said sharply, and with a shiver I felt my body come back to life.

"Did he mean what he said, Ryuu?" Hermione's eyes were wide as saucers but her voice didn't waver this time. "What exactly is going on between you and-"

"-Get out, _now!" _I snapped, pointing at the door. Looking stricken, she hurried from the room and with a flick of my wand I slammed the door behind her and flopped onto my bed, lying in my back and looking up at the ceiling.

_Please let me hate him. _I thought quietly, closing my eyes and trying to breath normally. _It would be so much easier if I hated him. _

_And I do, _I reminded myself. _Of course I do. _I opened my eyes and rolled onto my side, curling into the foetal position. _I hate him so much that I wish he'd never met me. I wish I'd never spoken to him or looked him in the eye._

The silver ring on my finger glinted. _I cringe when I remember that he's kissed me, touched me, held me in his arms. I despise him so greatly that I wish he'd been disgusted with my blood-status and cast me from his sight. If only he wouldn't consider me as a person. _The deep green of the Dragonstone seemed to bore into me like an eyeball. _If only he wouldn't consider me at all._

I pushed myself up and swung my legs over the bed, sitting on the very edge of the mattress. _I detest him. If I could lie to anyone for the rest of my life, I would lie with him. I hate him so much I can't stop thinking about him. _

I stood up and walked over to the window, looking up into the sky. Great big storm clouds looked like smudged dark eye shadow on the light grey eyelid of the sky. _I hate everything about him – everything he's done to me. I do. I must. I wish that none of this had ever happened. _My hands shook involuntarily, so I folded them into fists.

_I hate you, Draco Malfoy. Please know that I hate you._

_Please._

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A/N: Oh, Ryuu. She needs to sort out her priorities…


	19. Chapter 19 - Hot Pink

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: So, annoying discovery today. I realised that the dividers I've been using for this story (three hyphens and then enter) don't show up online. Damn. So sorry that you've had to read without dividers – must have been pretty confusing. Hopefully, you still figured out who's perspective you were reading from and when time skips occurred. (*Cringe*) Sorry again. But anyway, because I can't figure out a method that works; from now on the dividers will consist of a line of capital L's (e.g. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL). In the meantime, I'll try and fix the previous chapters. (*Eye twitch*).

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 19 – Hot Pink

Draco

I stared down at the book I wasn't reading. _"I'll see you later then…" _that's what she'd said, but I hadn't seen her all day. Something about the way she'd acted last night had made me wary. But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.

Even though I didn't care what people thought of Ryuu, what was I supposed to do now? I looked out the window at the slate sky, a storm brewing on the horizon. I had my own responsibilities. I'd done all the work, forged all the alliances – through my connections and with the help of Blaise we'd managed to convince the majority of the Slytherins to join the Dark Lord. All of the sixth years. Minus one, of course. So what was I supposed to do when the time came? How would Ryuu even react if she found out I was a Death Eater? It wasn't as if my parents would just let her move in with Aunty Bellatrix if they knew. No, if I were to take her with me, Ryuu would have to lie and lie very well. Highly impossible with Legilimens like my father and my aunt. Plus, I don't imagine Ryuu could keep up a lie for _that_ long.

_Even if I did try this, _I thought miserably, _people like Pansy and Zabini would know Ryuu as a muggleborn anyway. _Perhaps a few memory charms? No, that's too risky. I sighed and closed the book, tapping my fingers on the desk.

The real problem wasn't how I would manage this but whether Ryuu would agree in the first place. I didn't think she'd much like the idea of working with the Dark Lord, when she herself is one of the people he wants to kill. I dug my thumbs into my temples, grimacing. _What have I gotten her into? _I thought with raging guilt.

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Ryuu

"I will ask you again, Miss Veil, the pink toad continued, "do you have any knowledge of illegal activities among the students of Hogwarts School?"

It was pleasantly clear for an afternoon and I despised that I'd been summoned for an early detention. Still glaring at her, I replied, "No."

She released a breath and fixed the velvet bow pinned into her blonde hair into its right position. "The punishment for lying is lines Miss Veil. I hope you understand that I do not wish for you to receive this penalty." Her voice went very high as she said this and I knew she was lying. _I should tell her to write lines._ "Unfortunately, Professor Snape has not been able to brew any veritaserum to make this easier."

My mind soared back to when I had visited his office. Veritaserum had been one of the potions in the room. _So Snape is protecting me. _I made a mental note to myself that I could trust him. Keeping my face blank, I attempted to steer my mind away from the burning pain in my arm. _Autumn. Trying to catch the flame coloured leaves as they fell to the ground. My mother panicking, when I hid behind a tree as a childhood game. The itching feeling of the scars reopening… _

Umbridge shook her head with a small sigh and motioned towards the blood quill. "Begin."

_Traitor…Traitor…Traitor…_

I ground my teeth together._ Dad's camera. The cool smooth texture of the buttons. The blinding flash, similar to lightning. The trails of blood running down my fingers…_

_Traitor…Traitor…_

Suddenly, an explosive noise hit the air outside the window like a car crash. Startled, I dropped the quill and stared through the glass as another _bang _sounded. My eyes widened as I watched spiralling purple flames roll around the dusky sky through the window. I'd definitely seen those fireworks before. They were unique to the Weasley Twin's creations. For Christmas, they had set a few off in a DA meeting to the delight of everyone. _What's going on?_ _A diversion?_ It was too unlikely that somebody was doing this for the kicks – the penalties would be enormous. Something was happening; I just knew it from instinct. Umbridge lifted herself from her pink throne and bustled over to the window. Another firework exploded and she gasped in shock.

This was my chance.

I carefully reached inside my robes and pulled out my wand. My fingers fumbled with the handle, but I whipped it out just as she turned around. However, Umbridge seemed to have predicted my attack, and quickly disarmed me, furious. I scowled as my wand landed at her feet, and she picked it up, flinging it on top of her cupboard. She never diverted her wand from me. I kept still. Something about her was slipping. Her control. It was obvious that Fred and George had just spat in the face of her authority, and I could see from her dilated pupils and curling lip that she wasn't handling it well.

With a flick from her wand, pink ropes moved like vines from the tip and coiled themselves around my wrists and ankles, binding me to the chair. I winced in pain and shock as they constricted around my scars.

"I expected better of you, Miss Veil." She spat.

Instinctively, I struggled for freedom, only to feel the ropes compress me further in their tight embrace. Breathing deeply, and reminding myself that I wasn't trapped I glared up at her. "You're mad." The words had slipped from my lips before I'd thought about it and almost instantly I regretted them. Her knuckles cracked as they tightened their grip over her weapon. For a moment, it looked like she was about to hex me, and I stared at her aghast, but she loosened her hold and instead stormed out of the room. The lock in the door clicked as she closed it behind her.

Again, a loud noise erupted from below, except this time the floor beneath me vibrated. _The fireworks are inside the school. _I thought, incredulous. _What on earth are they doing?_

My eyes searched the room for any means of escape, but with no prevail. All of the edges of the furniture were curved and smoothed. There were no sharp implements in sight. I cursed to the empty space and looked towards the door. It was only a few feet away, but knowing my luck, I'd fall over if I tried to nudge the chair towards it. And, even if I did get in proximity of the door, what was I supposed to do? Stare at it uselessly until it opened?

"HELP!" I yelled. "HEEEELP!"

There was no reply. Most students were in their dormitories, or as the case may have it, running around the school admiring the fireworks. _Dammit!_

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Draco

The crowds had flocked to the courtyard to watch the show. I stumbled as I ran onto the unstable stone that paved the ground. Fireworks filled the sky like a rainbow. Red, blue, green, orange, gold and colours that I'd never seen before. Some of them flashed, some chased birds or flew down to earth like comets towards the students. My ears buzzed at the constant rhythm of crashing sounds that bounced off every surface. People cheered and danced, relishing in the unexpected treat.

Several members of the Inquisitorial Squad were present. Crabbe and Goyle were being chased by a carton of levitating false teeth, which were murderously fast and closing in on them. Reeah Noseworthy was desperately yelling a name I couldn't quite decipher, pushing people out of the way in a search mission. Pansy had been lifted into the hands of the mass of students and thrashed at them as they carried her towards barrel of puking pastels. I ducked as the Weasley twins flew over me on broomsticks, laughing hysterically.

Umbridge bustled out from the school into the courtyard, yelling at the staff for not trying to restrain the havoc. She pointed her wand at the twins shooting spells through the air, and scowled as they missed.

The Weasleys nodded to each other, and pulled a huge rocket-shaped device from one of their bags full of fireworks. They lit it, and threw it above their heads. The students screamed and parted way as it zoomed down low towards Umbridge, turning onto a massive dragon made of bright purple flames. She ran inside the school as it raced after her, pounding its enormous wings to stay up.

I looked around at the rejoicing students. All wore huge grins on their faces, and were throwing their arms up in the air. The younger ones were jumping up, dancing around the water fountain positioned in the centre. The twins waved towards the people and flew away, but not before they threw the rest of the fireworks behind them, which burst to imprint a clear image of a message written in the sky.

_DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY._

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Ryuu

Startling me, the door burst open. Harry and Hermione ran towards the fireplace, not even noticing me. Ron ran in after them and was the only one to scope the room. His blue eyes widened as he saw me."Ryuu! What the bloody hell are you doing here?!"

I stared at him in scorn. "Gee, I'd love to chat with you now Ronald, but I'm kind of busy being held captive at the moment."

"Oh, right." He shook his head as he hurried over to me and shot a spell at my bonds. To my anger, that only made them tighter.

"What the-?" Ron said. "Oh, the ropes are enchanted! I can't cut them!"

"Well, untie me then!" I snapped impatiently.

He obeyed, and my ears caught on to Harry and Hermione's conversation.

"Harry, you have to be careful."

"I will, I will." Harry said hurriedly as the flames in the fireplace flashed green.

"What's going on?" I asked Ron as he struggled to loosen the rope around my left wrist.

"Harry had a vision. You-Know-Who is torturing Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, so we have to go help him." Ron grunted. His eyes met mine. "Why are _you_ tied up?"

I was just about to reply when Luna staggered into the room, Umbridge holding her by her wavy blonde hair. The High Inquisitor had several scorch marks lining her pink outfit, and her hair was loose and frazzled. Her left shoe was missing, so her small goblin-like foot was visible. There was a large scratch on her cheek that made her wide staring eyes look even more blue and unblinking. _Oh shit._ The toad cast a spell towards Harry and Hermione to grasp their attention, and she pointed her wand at Luna's throat. I squirmed to try to help my friend, to feel the ropes binding me tighten their grip.

"Behind my desk. Backs against the wall. No funny business." She said urgently, panicky.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, and then at Ron before the three of them silently obeyed. Umbridge released Luna and pushed her towards them. She tripped to lean in between Harry and Hermione, straightening and observing her surroundings. When her gaze found me she frowned. "What are you doing here Ryuu?" I opened my mouth to reply, but flinched as Umbridge enhanced the spell so that the ropes that Ron had undone flicked against my scars like a whip.

Keeping her gaze fixed on Harry; Umbridge pressed her wand to her throat and spoke. "All Inquisitorial Squad Members will bring ANY students to me if they are found inside the school walking towards my office."

_Dammit. _Hermione's face turned sour, so I assumed that others were nearby. The room went quiet. I tried to ask for more information with just my facial expressions, but Harry, Ron and Hermione only had eyes for Umbridge. Luna looked at me from time to time, and it was strange to see her worried. There wasn't much of a change in her dreamy eyes and her semi-vacant expression, but it was evident that she was concerned. I felt an immense hatred for the woman in pink, having brought out this stress in my friend.

Then, the worst thing that could have possibly occurred walked through the door.

"Caught these two sneaking around outside the classroom," Draco declared as he struggled to contain a determined Neville and a thrashing Ginny. Umbridge motioned for him to manoeuvre them towards the desk, which he did, and then he leaned against the wall opposite. It was then that his gaze focused on me. His silvery eyes locked with my green ones as I frantically racked my brains for a plan. I could see him tensing in confusion and disbelief. All I could do was silently panic as Draco looked at my position with a mingled expression of shock and fear. _Oh no,_ was the only tangible though that surfaced in my mind.

I realised with a jolt that while I'd been lost in my thoughts, Hermione was yelling. "That's illegal! You can't do that!"

Umbridge raised her wand to point between Harry's eyes. _What is she-? _I froze. _She's going to curse him. _I watched in shock as Umbridge began to form the words on her lips.

"NO! Stop!"

I could see that Umbridge didn't want to stop herself, but she did and jerked her head towards Hermione anyway. "Miss Granger?"

"I'll take you! If you promise not to hurt him, I'll take you to Dumbledore's secret weapon!" Hermione's hands were twitching and her mouth was too firm to be natural. _She's lying. _

But Umbridge didn't seem to notice this. She grabbed Harry in her talons, and pointed her wand at his throat, in the same fashion as she had used on Luna. Harry tilted his head slightly to look at me in his peripheral vision, and I kept my face looking alarmed. Slowly, Hermione walked towards the door with Umbridge close behind her.

"Malfoy." Umbridge ordered. "Watch these ones."

And they left.

Draco rushed towards the door, turning his back on the room to close it. Instantly, Ron looked at me and mouthed: _"What now?"_ I stared at the people lined up against the wall. Ginny, her hands in fists and her eyes fierce. She was looking at me, and I could tell that she was suspicious. Neville's brow was lined, and he glanced nervously at Luna, who did the same and smiled sadly. Ron's eyes never left mine. He was so focused, intent. I half expected that he would blow me up with his mind. I nodded at him in a simple but effective message. "_Trust me," _and then lowered my head just as Draco locked the door and turned around.

I shut my eyes and cleared my mind. _Okay, Ryuu. This is it. _I'd always been a good actor. My father had said so many times. But, I'd never thought that one day I'd be using my skills in this manner. I never wanted to believe that I would. But, I suppose it was how it was always going to happen.

_I hate him. I do. _I took a stealthy deep breath and tried to clear my mind; tried not to think dwell too much on what I was going to do next. _I must. _For months I'd been playing a game, and now it was over. _Repress it,_ I thought desperately as a sudden unexpected wave of panic flowed over me. Ruefully, I pressed my arms deeper into the wood of the chair so the ropes squeezed tighter and tears of pain reached my eyes. Quickly, I blinked so the tears began to trail down my cheeks. _Oh gosh, I don't want to do this anymore!_ I screamed in my head before reassuring myself. _It's almost over. Calm. Control._ I felt Ron's gaze locked on me and the weight on my shoulders felt heavier than ever. _I'd promised. _

Finally, I lifted my head, face pale, eyes round and large. Draco had just turned around, wand held out in front of him surveying the room and gaze falling on me. I allowed my jaw to quiver slightly before I spoke."Draco, please… help."

The confusion on his face was replaced with anxiety. He stabbed his wand in the direction of the others. "If any of you move, you will wish that you hadn't." His tone was threatening.

I felt more tears trickle down my face as he hurried to my chair and knelt before me. It was strange, acting so weak when I'd held up my guard for so long. Even as a child I'd never cry in public. But it was working. Draco delicately lifted my chin and inspected my face as if he was handling a snowflake. His eyes hardened but I didn't waver from my expression of fear and distress. "What are you doing here Ryuu?"

I twisted my mouth to hide my pain and began to lie. "I came here to join the Inquisitorial Squad. She started questioning me," I spoke softer. "I told her I was a muggleborn and she freaked out and tied me to this chair! I've been here for hours, Draco!"

The steely grey eyes narrowed slightly, thinking over my story, as he pointed his wand my bonds. "_Diffindo." _

As expected, the ropes tightened and I squeaked in exaggerated pain. He quickly apologized, and then began to tear at the ropes with his fingers. In the corner of my eye I spared a glance at Ron. He was nudging Luna and Neville to be quiet, and to not disturb anything. _He's caught on to my plan._

"Did she hurt you?" I flickered back to reality and lowered my gaze to my shoes."Ryuu?" he asked again, before seeing the blood on my sleeve. I watched, heart thudding fast, as he carefully lifted the cloth to look at my arm underneath. I froze. _What is he going to think of seeing the word 'Traitor' carved into my arm?_

But for once I was thankful that the blood flow was strong enough to hide the scars. He sighed and wordlessly produced bandages from his wand. _That would have been a helpful spell to know… _I thought ruefully as Draco began to wind the cloth around my arm. I could see he'd never done this before, but he was focused on his handiwork and it was good enough to apply the right pressure.

"Is that too tight?" he asked.

"No." I said, keeping my voice scratchy.

He returned to undoing the knots and I closed my eyes in disgrace. _Oh gosh! _Again, I looked at Ron. He was gawking at me in amazement. He obviously hadn't realised that Draco could actually be… _caring._ I took a breath. _Calm, control. _Almost robotically, my mind clicked back into gear. 

After a few minutes of complete silence in which I prepared my body language and speech, I finally felt the release of my hands and feet. Shakily, I stood, using the balance of Draco's arm to straighten myself. As my muscles responded to the freedom, I felt the twinge of the cuts in my arm and winced noticeably.

Realising my discomfort, and with a glare towards the others, he placed a hand on the back of my head and allowed it to rest on his shoulder. Because my face was concealed from anyone's eyes, I let it relax slightly, thinking of what to do next. _I can't believe he's acting like this. Especially in front of people that he loathes. _

"Okay," he said quietly, but calmly. "Now, you need to go to the hospital wing, so Madam Pomphrey can help you. Don't go anywhere else. I'll meet you there, just as soon as I've got these people sorted out." Because I didn't reply, Draco spoke again. "This isn't your fault, Ryuu. Umbridge has been pushed to the edge. It's all _them._" By 'them' he obviously meant the people huddled on the other side of the room, gawking at us noticeably.

With an immense amount of effort, I nodded into his shoulder, and I felt him relax. There was only one last thing I had to do now. Curling my hands into fists so they wouldn't shake I spoke, hoping desperately I sounded innocent. "Draco… I - I need my wand." _This is it._

He looked into my eyes. "Did Umbridge take it from you?"

I blinked, more tears welling in my eyes as I looked at his face. "It's on top of the cabinet."

He let me go as he reached up and retrieved it, and then placed my wand firmly in my palm. I stared at it blankly, feeling... I wasn't sure what. He had literally, and so easily, reached up and handed me my own weapon.

"Ryuu?" Draco's smooth voice sliced through my brief reverie. I snapped out of my subconscious and tightened my fingers around the handle, shifting uncomfortably. _Had he noticed my hesitation?_

I stiffened as he leaned in to speak in my ear so that I only I could hear what he was saying. "Ryuu, I'll be there soon. I just have to make sure that Umbridge doesn't get angrier. You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine." I nodded, but he hadn't finished yet.

"I love you."

My eyes clicked open in shock, and I felt the tears stop coming. My wand felt heavier than the weight bearing down on my shoulders and I desperately wanted to flee from the room. Unbidden, my thoughts branched away into a clumsy escape plan but my feet remained quite planted to the floor. _He… loves me. _I leaned my forehead against Draco's shoulder, but my eyes threw a sideways glance at Ron, and cringed as I remembered.

I screwed my eyes shut. _Please. _

"I know…" I replied, my voice louder and clearer than I'd intended. I thought that this reply would hurt the most. He hesitated and drew back, looking at me in concern. He had heard the change in my tone. Feeling wrong, my mouth stretched unnaturally into a convincing grin. "…I played my part well didn't I?"

With one quick movement, I spun him around, surprised at my burst of strength and flung him into the chair I had just been released from. Draco fell back, still staring at me in horror._"Petrificus Totalus!" _I screeched, watching, thunderstruck, as my spell took effect and Draco's body suddenly stiffened and he moved no more.

_No. No. No._ His eyes were still planted on me, blanketed in shock and rage. I straightened, holding my wand on the edges of my fingertips and glaring down at him, forcing my eyes to look amused.

"Whoa, Ryuu! That was bloody brilliant-! Ouch! _Ginny!"_

"Hurry up Ron!" she exclaimed, punching him in the elbow. "C'mon. Let's get out of here! I can see Harry and Hermione walking into the Forest with Umbridge."

I ignored them as I fastened the pink rope around Draco's wrists and ankles, my frantic hands telling me it was necessary but my mind reassuring me that it wasn't. I stopped myself from looking at him while I did, even though I could feel his gaze boring into me. I felt bodies rushing past me, but my fingers still frantically fumbled with the knots.

"Ryuu."

I turned to Ron, but I didn't look at him. "You go ahead, I'll catch up." I knew I'd spoken but my mouth, like the rest of me, felt numb and I had to second guess. Ron grimaced, threw Draco a look and hurried out of the room. _Good. _I needed to make sure. I didn't want Ron here.

_I have to be sure, _I said to myself as I continued to avoid looking at Draco. _I have to make sure every little piece is broken before I leave. _My hands shook but my voice did not; in fact, it was colder than I'd ever heard. "Did you honestly believe that I actually cared about you?"

_You were right._

I pulled taut the last knot and stood, still not looking at him. My voice was much firmer now, angrier. "I hated every second of it."

_Because I wanted to stop. I can't stop._

Now, involuntarily my gaze flickered to his face. Hauntingly, his eyes were locked on mine, wide, fearful and disbelieving. His entire face made me ache to see but I kept my stare firmly hooked onto his silver grey eyes. "And I hate you."

_I'm lying again. Please see that I'm lying again. _

Turning on my heel, I exited, snapping the door shut behind me. Then, pressing my fist into my mouth so as not to make a sound I sank down to the floor, still trembling. No tears threatened my eyes. No hearty sobs choked at my throat. Unmoving, I knelt down on the cobbled stone, hands over my face and words ringing in my ears for twenty seven seconds. _"You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine. I love you."_

Then, slowly, I stood up. My wand was in my hand. I hastily brushed my hair behind my ear. I took a breath.

And ran as fast as my feet could take me.

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Draco

And then she was gone.

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A/N: Poor Draco. Poor Ryuu. They're pretty messed up now…


	20. Chapter 20 - Light

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Oh gosh, I recently just reread through the Harry Potter series again. Finished the last book today. Haven't cried that hard in a while… and I suppose listening to 'Everything Ends' from A Very Potter Senior Year doesn't help the situation. But anyway, here's the next chapter! Getting close to the end now. Plenty of action in this chapter – hope you enjoy reading.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 20 – Light

Ryuu

I grimaced as I looked down to see London hundreds of miles below me. I usually enjoyed flying, but this was uncomfortable. The wind whipped my hair into my eyes, but I didn't let go of the invisible creature I was riding. It was already bad enough that I couldn't see the thestral; I wasn't going to release my grip of it anytime soon.

Luna flew beside me smiling and gliding her hands through the air around her in complete trust. It had been a clever idea of hers to use thestrals to get to the Ministry. The winged creatures can only been seen by people who have witnessed death, and it unnerved me to not know of their appearance. My thestral seemed fine enough, even though I couldn't determine my theory completely.

I'd never been to the Ministry before. I knew it was in London, but I hadn't noticed any buildings that could contain it. _Maybe it's like 12 Grimmauld Place. You have to be on its doorstep to see it._

London looked beautiful from this angle. The sky was just clinging onto the lasts wisps of light from the dimmed sun. The city's features were prominent and bold; like an old man's lined face. _Long way down, _I thought ruefully as I tightened my hold over my invisible transport, and my thestral quickened so that I was suddenly level with Harry.

He was covered in dirt from his encounter with the centaurs in the forest. Hermione was the same, especially after tripping several times while sprinting through the trees. She had told me that I had given her the idea for the fireworks display. When I had ranted on in my weak attempt at adding symbolism to the Hogwarts colours, she had interpreted hot pink in an entirely different retrospect; and _literally_ tried to set Umbridge on fire.

She and the twins and been devising this plan for a while now, as an act of rebellion. It had been intended that the firework Dragon would damage her enough to be hospitalised and we could contact the Order to tell them to come to Hogwarts. However, the enchanted fire had hardly been able to fly properly. It had delivered a perfect diversion though, an opportunity for Harry to try and use the only fireplace that was available for messaging. The one in Umbridge's office.

When Ron had told her of our escape, Hermione had given me a very stern look, eyes calculating. Whether she didn't say anything from the silent messages I was throwing her or Harry's urgency to get everyone on the thestrals, I couldn't quite tell.

Luna had approached to help me up onto my thestral and quietly asked me about what had happened. I shook my head and said I'd tell her later, expecting her to feel dejected. On the contrary, Luna merely shrugged and voiced an uncomfortable truth in her usual sing song fashion. "It's alright. You don't need to explain. It seems perfectly clear to me that he mistook your dragon wings for angel ones."

I wasn't certain of what to say to that.

I banished the thoughts from my mind. There was no time for that now. We had to break into the Ministry Of Magic, battle Voldemort and no doubt his entire forces of Death Eaters and save Sirius. _Well, at least I'll die quickly, _I thought uncomfortably. Why was I even doing this? I mean sure, Sirius seemed nice and all but running full steam ahead into a dangerous rescue mission wasn't my area of expertise. I shrieked as my thestral made a sudden swerve and Harry looked around at me to see if I was okay. _Right, I'm supposed to be protecting him, _I reminded myself dimly. Certainly that had been the reason of why I'd ran out of Hogwarts, feeling as if I never wanted to see the castle again.

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Luna petted her thestral and beckoned it to fly away. It did, and the rest of them followed until I couldn't hear the drum like beats of their wings anymore. Harry then walked towards a red telephone box and began to press some buttons.

"What are you doing?" I said.

"This is the entrance. C'mon."

Ginny entered, followed by Ron. Hermione and Neville went next, cramming themselves in the little space. But Luna looked at me and raised a quizzical eyebrow. I sighed and examined the payphone. It was small, but had windows on each side. The added amount of people didn't help the situation. There was just enough space for Luna and me.

"What are you waiting for?" Ron grunted from the back.

"Nothing." I replied and entered the crammed booth. I shifted to the side, so that my cheek was against the glass panelling and took a deep breath. I could already feel my palms sweating and my breath going shallow. _Calm down Ryuu._

Luna walked in and stood next to me squeezing my hand – which only added to my feeling of being constricted and didn't help. The door closed. I kept my gaze on the world outside. Pavement. Trees. Roads. Air.

"Couldn't we go in two at a time or something?" I muttered.

"That'll take too long." Harry said as he pressed a button and a jolt started to push us downwards. A soothing disembodied voice spoke through an unseen loudspeaker but I didn't listen to it. I felt myself panicking as the ground rose to my knees. _Calm down Ryuu._

My eyes never left the window. I shook, and Luna looked at me in concern. She'd never seen me in a tight space before, so she didn't know how I'd react. But I did. _Breathe. Just breathe._

_But I can't. There's no air!_ I grasped at the walls, and heard Hermione say my name.

_Breathe! _My throat was dry due to the lack of oxygen. I ripped at the scarf around my neck. My fingers struggled when it didn't loosen. _It's choking me_. The ground raised itself above my head and the world was plunged into darkness._ BREATHE._

I couldn't move.

I couldn't see.

I couldn't breathe.

I gasped in terror as I finally wrenched the scarf from my neck. I frantically thumped my fists against the glass that wouldn't break. That would not allow me air. Freedom. Escape. All I could hear was my heart beat throbbing inside my head and the small sounds of the crowd around me calling my name. Suddenly I was six years old again, being pushed into the corner, scratching at the walls of my plastic prison.

_I can't breathe._

My chest ached as a sliver of light appeared at my feet. I clutched the door handle, readying myself for release. I could see the ground now. The light grew and I could see outside. But it wasn't enough. I was blocked from oxygen by a panel of glass and timber. As soon as the door was completely cleared from the roof, I flung it outwards and threw myself out into the open space.

Air.

_I'm flying._

_No, wait._

_I'm falling._

I hit the ground clumsily as I turned mid-fall to land on my side. A crashing pain struck my ribs, but I paid it no heed. Air. I breathed in great gulps of oxygen. My hands reached around the floor. The cool tiled floor that covered the large open space.

I rolled onto my back grimacing in pain, and heard a thud as Luna jumped to the ground from the now minimal drop of the payphone. I saw her feet run up next to me and she dragged me over to a fireplace. She leaned my back against a wall and looked at me in fright. "Ryuu! Are you okay?" I'd never heard her voice like that before. Trying to answer, all I could manage was a hearty cough, choking on the amount of air that I had sucked into my system in the last few seconds. A loud noise echoed through the room as the telephone box landed and a parade of footsteps ran towards me.

"What happened?"

"Is she alright?"

"Ryuu!"

"What the hell?"

Luna ignored their questions. Finally, my heart rate lowered and I began to breathe normally again. Shakily, I got to my feet and pulled my wand from my pocket, blinking away the moment. "Let's go."

"What the hell was that?" Ginny asked insistently.

Everyone was looking at me in surprise. "_That_ was claustrophobia." I said simply. There was no point in hiding it now, although I still didn't like them all knowing. I shook my head. "Now, can we _please _move on?"

Hermione's mouth fell open. "Ryuu-"

"-There's no time for this." I interjected. "I'm fine. We had to get in here somehow, right? Now, let's go." I turned on my heel and began to walk along the floor, my palms still sweating. Once I had moved a few steps, the others followed awkwardly, and then caught up to my stride. Harry looked over at me for a moment, obviously eager to say something, but I turned my head away and he remained silent.

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Draco

_My wand._

I could feel it in the pocket of my jacket; my hand itched. _It's so close._ The last light of the day had dimmed and the room was filled with a hazy grey colour. I still couldn't move. Her body bind curse had left me latched to the chair, and Umbridge hadn't returned. _I need to get out of here._

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Pansy ran in. She was pale, and covered in crescent shaped bruises. Obviously, some of the Weasley Twins' enchanted Frisbees had attacked her. "Professor Umbridge! Professor- Draco?!" She released me from the curse and began to untie me. "Who did this to you?!"

"Weasel." I spat to my surprise. She snarled, and untied the final rope. Ryuu's knots were flimsy, so it was easy to release me. I stood, and brought out my wand.

"Where's Umbridge?"

"I don't know. I thought she'd be in here. Oh Draco! They've all gone mad!" Her eyes were wide.

"Who?" I asked, dazed.

"The students!" She exclaimed. "The school is – is in _anarchy!_ I've never seen anything like it."

A loud crash echoed off the stone walls of the castle. "What about the teachers?"

She shook her head vigorously. "They're gone. All of them."

"Even Snape?"

"He was the first to leave." Pansy's voice was low and sinister.

_Bastard. _So father had been wrong. I couldn't trust Snape.

Pansy rushed towards the door. "They're trashing the Dungeons now! We have to protect the Common Room!"

"No!" I commanded, and she stopped in her tracks, staring at me with wide eyes. I pointed out the door. "Go and get Zabini and tell him: it's time – he'll know what to do."

Pansy's face blanched as she stared at me, and the shadow of a smile twitched her lips. "Draco-"

"_-Go. Now!"_ I yelled at her, and with one fleeting glance she sprinted form the room. I couldn't stand to look at Pansy right now.

I ran out the door, seeing the tip of Pansy's robes flick around the corner. Avoiding the large surges of noisy students, I hurried through the corridors and didn't stop sprinting until I'd ran all the way through the grounds and into Hogsmeade, wand held firmly in my hand.

I turned my back on the castle to focus, which was difficult due to the lively hubbub of Hogsmeade. Many of the villages were staring up at the school in bewilderment, clearly wondering why fireworks and explosions were crackling in the evening sky. All of this made it difficult to concentrate; but I managed to detach myself from my emotions just like in my training, forcing myself to think only of Malfoy Manor. _The walls. The gardens. The forest bordering the house._

I'd only apperated a few times before in my life. My mother had considered it to be a good idea to teach me how to escape a situation if the need arose. When I was thirteen, I had splinched myself. My legs were left on one side of the room and my torso on the other. I was extremely fortunate that my parents had the right medical aid to assist me. Ever since, I had detested my training; and rarely practised. I cast the memory from my mind. _Focus only on your destination._

I took a deep breath and felt my entire body twist through space. I ignored the feeling of limbs squishing through a cramped funnel, and after a moment opened my eyes to see the forest around me and blinked in surprise. _I did it._ Quickly as I could, I stumbled to the left slightly as I dizzily made my way towards the shape of Malfoy Manor in the distance.

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Ryuu

I grabbed Neville's sleeve and tugged him towards me. The spell that was aimed at him just missed his face by inches. His lanky body flayed in all directions as I brought him down to kneel on the floor beside me."Thanks." he gasped, still a bit in shock.

"No problem," I answered absently, scanning the scene around me.

Another curse rebounded off the tiled wall beside us, leaving an ugly scorch mark there. I peered around the edge of the fireplace, preparing myself to duck my head away if the need arose. A Death Eater lay sprawled on the ground at Ron's feet, much to his own surprise. Hermione was helping Harry ward off a particularly crafty Death Eater near the base of the gold fountain. I heard Luna shout _"Levicorpus!" _and smiled as a man was flung across the room. Ginny was battling two Death Eaters at once. I saw Luna running towards her, but stop halfway. Ginny's red hair was flicking in all directions as she lashed out at her attackers. It would be dangerous to approach. The woman I had just stunned lay at my feet, and Neville grabbed my arm.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine." I motioned to my attacker on the floor. "She drove me into a corner."

We hadn't even made it to the Department of Mysteries before the gang of Death Eaters had attacked. We had only just approached the magnificent golden fountain when the first one appeared. But the Death Eaters hadn't been expecting our knowledge of defensive magic. My gaze flicked towards the fireplaces at the end of the vast hall, where several fires suddenly flashed emerald.

"You ready?" Neville asked bracingly.

"No," I replied.

Ignoring me, Neville burst into action and sprinted away. I grit my teeth, watching the Death Eaters stumble from the fireplaces one by one. Picking my target, I took a breath and followed, dodging a curse that came flying my way. I slinked along the edge of the battle, feeling jittery as I sought out an unsuspecting Death Eater and paralysed him from behind.

Unfortunately, this attracted the attention of a particularly large man a few feet away from me, who spun around with surprising speed, and cast a non verbal spell that caused a whip of gold light to strike me across the face. I cried out in pain as the stinging hex took effect, and hastily pointed my wand at the bastard. _"Serpensortia!"_ I screamed, and a snake flew from the tip of my wand straight into his nose. The man bellowed, desperately trying to pull the snake off his face. I quickly stunned him away from me and ran towards the golden statue to join the others, who were creating a kind of formation.

We were outnumbered. There was now two Death Eaters for each of us. A man without a Death Eater mask, walked towards me, grinning devilishly. A woman moved by his side, her face sullen. There was the briefest of pauses before the man swished his arm upwards in a great arc-

"_Aqua Eructo." _I whispered, to catch him by surprise. A jet of water flashed out from the tip of my wand and hit him in the knees. He was knocked into the air, and the woman began to attack.

She used a non-verbal spell that sent a ball of flame at my face. I ducked, but the fire followed me. _Shit. _I dodged out of its way; trying to get a clear shot at it. After a while, it extinguished, and I briefly checked myself for damage. I barely had enough time to react before the man shot another spell at me._"Protego Horribilis."_ The purple flames that had erupted from his wand bounced right back to him. The man lay knocked out on the floor.

The woman lunged towards me, screeching like a harpy. She shot a curse at me, and I felt a twinge in my ankle as it twisted. The pain shot up and down my leg as I fell to the ground. I looked down at my foot to see that it was pointing in a different direction to my calf. I aimed at a piece of the roof above the woman and shrieked; _"Bombarda Maxima!"_

The tiles exploded and the materials fell on top of her. A large slab of rubble hit her on the head and she moved no more. For a moment I stared at the pile of rubble, the woman's torso sprawled out at the side; until I noticed that she was still breathing jerkily.

I hauled myself up and cried out as I tried to walk on my mangled foot. I only knew of one healing spell, and that was for minor injuries. _It's the best I've got. _I thought as I whispered _"Protego," _to shield myself from attacks.

I gritted my teeth and pointed my wand at my left ankle. I had read that this spell can mend broken bones and fractures. I had also read that it is immensely painful. _"Episkey." _ I swore as I felt a grinding sensation run through my foot. I crushed my face into creases to suppress the tears. My ankle was twisting back into place, slowly. Finally, with a profound _snap_, my foot was back in its natural position.

Steadily I got up. My foot hurt, but it was bearable enough to run with. I looked around. Hermione was motionless on the floor. My breath caught in my throat. Luna knelt beside her, guarding her with enchantments and a spell thrown at any Death Eater who came near. Neville was duelling a masked Death Eater, when I saw another one sneak up behind him. I quickly fired a stunning jinx at the figure, and it fell down. Ginny and Ron were back to back, working well together as a duo. Ron kept shaking the blood out of his eyes from a gash that ran across his forehead.

"_Stupefy!" _Harry yelled, as his opponent was knocked back against the wall. He glanced around, and locked eyes with me. I motioned towards Ron and Ginny, and he quickly moved in to help.

Following suit, I raced to Ron's side, wincing at my foot and shot a body bind curse at his attacker. They cast a shield to deflect it, and I ducked, but Ron wasn't as quick. The spell hit him full in the chest and I heard something snap as he hit the ground face first. I drew a shield in the air that repeated the scenario back to the Death Eater, who was knocked out by his own spell. Numbly, I cast a glance at Harry, who's opponent was flying through the air. My gaze swivelled around to Ron, sprawled on the floor and I hurriedly released the body-bind.

He got up, looking behind him to see Ginny blasting her opponent to the floor. She then clutched at her arm, covering a deep cut and staggered. He reached out to her and hoisted her upright. "Alright?"

She smiled wanly. "Alright."

I listened. The room was completely silent. There was no spells ricocheting around the area, no yelling or screaming. _Something's wrong._

We all gathered around Hermione's still figure. Her face was pale and set into a disturbing peace. I prepared myself for the worst, all the while hoping that I was wrong. Luna was muttering an incantation, but once she had finished nothing happened. "Well?" Harry asked urgently.

"She's breathing. Deeply. I think she's in a heavy coma." Luna's face was calm, which reassured me. "Did you see what spell hit her?"

Neville spoke up. His voice was dulled because of the bleeding nose he had. "I don't knowb. There bwere flamesth. And then thshe bwas on the floor…"

"Well," Luna began softly, "there's nothing I can do."

There was a brief silence. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and held it limply. Harry looked at me, clearly torn. He wanted to save Sirius, but he also didn't want to leave Hermione.

"How touching…" said a slick voice from the darkness. I knew that voice. How unmistakeable it was. Sinister, cold, creepily lulling. My eyes dragged towards its source as I gripped my wand tighter, until my knuckles hurt. Lucius Malfoy emerged from the blackness, sneering. "…that you would care so much; for a _mudblood_."

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_Oh shit._

We stood, blocking Hermione from his sight. He smirked and walked towards us, allowing his gaze to flow over our faces, with an expression of bemusement on his face and his wand still raised threateningly. Finally, he saw me. His face wavered in shock, for a moment, before twisting in anger. _"You…" _he spat.

Glad that he couldn't see me shaking from here, I smiled and took a dramatic bow. "Tis a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Malfoy," I declared. I knew it was unnecessary, but he was already going to kill me; so I might as well go down with an ounce of my true self intact. Lucius was struggling to think of how he should reply to that and I was thankful when Harry distracted him.

"Where is he?" he sounded very brave.

Lucius focused on him, his face clearing. "Sirius Black? _My dear boy_, did you honestly think that was real?" There were sniggers and laughs from the darkness behind him and I knew that there were more Death Eaters back there.

Harry's shoulders sagged slightly. I could see that he had really believed that Sirius was in danger. But it was a trap. I had no doubt that Lucius Malfoy was not alone. He would definitely have reinforcements. At that moment, it registered in my mind then just how screwed we were. These were trained Death Eaters. They had fought in the first war. We were kids. Just kids who knew a few handy jinxes.

A laugh whipped through the quiet, echoing around my ears. A wild woman, who I recognised from the _Daily Prophet_ as Bellatrix Lestrange, appeared behind Lucius' shoulder. Her smile was wide and toothy like a goblin's, and I recoiled. She looked freakishly like Narcissa, but not in an elegant way at all. While Narcissa's hair was tame and bright, Bellatrix's was uncontrollably untidy and darker than pitch; eyes like stones. Her face had the same structure as Narcissa's except Bellatrix's was more haunted, probably from her years in Azkaban. Comparing the sisters, it suddenly became to clear to me why Narcissa was so well controlled. Growing up with a sibling like that – you'd learn how to live without letting people know what you're thinking. For the most disturbing thing about Bellatrix Lestrange was that I could take one look at her and know exactly who she was and what she wanted to do – and it was information that chilled me.

"Ooh! Harry Potter and his little friends come to the rescue!" she burst into hysteric chortles, and I felt Neville's arm tense against my shoulder. Suddenly, she stopped; her face blank. "He's coming. He's coming to get you…" Bellatrix started to sing this little tune just as all the fireplaces in the room flared. People burst from the darkness, shooting spells. Expecting more Death Eaters, I tensed, holding my wand higher. But the new arrivals were firing at the _Death Eaters,_ not us.

The Order Of The Phoenix.

There was Sirius, easily shooting a curse at a Death Eater that propelled them across the room and through a wall. Lupin, by his side, disarming anyone that came near. Tonks ran across to Bellatrix and began duelling. Kingsley Shacklebolt burst into pearly white flames and flew around the room, trying to catch Lucius, who was in the same manner, except his candlelight-like substance was darker than shadow. I couldn't control a smile of amusement as I saw Snape walking calmly through the battle scene, sweeping aside anyone who approached him with a flick of his wand, Death Eater or otherwise. He retrieved a small silver vial from his robes as he closed the distance between us and knelt down beside Hermione. "What is that?" I exclaimed, eyeing the glass vial.

He ignored me as he placed his hand on Hermione's chin and slowly opened her jaw. He then poured the clear contents of the bottle into her mouth and flicked the lid shut with a small _click._

"What are you doing?!" Ron yelled over the battle raged sounds.

"Saving your _girlfriend's _life, Mr. Weasley. You, Potter. Move her behind the statue. Now." Even in this scenario, Snape's voice never changed from its slick detesting tone.

He pocketed the bottle, stood and motioned for us to get into safety. Harry and Ron awkwardly dragged Hermione behind the cover of the solid gold figures. I leaned against the marble base, observing the room. Snape turned his back on us and began to walk away, but not before Ron called out, "She's _not_ my girlfriend!"

I raised an eyebrow at Ron, and looked down at Hermione. Her face was gaining colour, rapidly. Her entire body twitched, and before I could react, she was awake. She called out in shock at her sudden burst of consciousness before gasping for breath. She settled down after a few seconds, and then stiffened as Ron hugged her. "Hermione!"

"Ron! Hey…"

I turned away from the unadmitted lovers and looked at the scene around me. Many of the Hogwarts Professors were amongst the battle. McGonagall was fighting off three Death Eaters at once, without any of them coming close to defeating her. A burst of flame warmed the air as I spied Dumbledore sending his opponent to the floor.

Ginny tapped on my shoulder. She was still holding her upper arm, and I wondered what had happened to her. "Can you fight?" she asked me, her eyes ablaze.

_Do I want to? _But unbidden, and without really thinking about it, I nodded. I flung my head around to the others. Neville's nose was still gushing blood. Luna had a large bruise blackening her eye which I hadn't registered before. The cut on Ron's forehead had settled, but I guessed it was painful. Harry's glasses were broken, and his shoulder blade displayed a large triangular wound.

As my mind emptied of priorities, I felt the pain in my own body. My ankle, searing. Obviously the spell hadn't fixed the bone, but simply allowed me to walk on it. For now. My back was throbbing with an ache in my upper spine. The scars in my arm were still bleeding, but not as severely as before. My face felt as if had been slapped by poison ivy, and I wondered fleetingly how I must look. But I could move. I could cast. _Yes, I can fight._

Hermione couldn't. Her legs hadn't moved, as if the potion hadn't reached them yet. The medicine had also made her drowsy, for her eyes were drooping with exhaustion. Neville seemed to have read my mind. "I'll thstay. I bwon't be able to thsay the thspells anyway." He smiled at us, showing his missing front tooth.

"Okay Neville," Harry said. He lifted his wand. "Let's go."

We split into individuals, and I bolted towards Lupin, who was struggling with a grey haired man who kept growling at him like a dog. "Professor!" I said, as I ran up next to him, and pointed my wand at the strange man. Lupin did not smile as he edged around slowly, him and the man in synchronisation, like two vultures circling for prey. "Leave this to me, Ryuu."

"_Rictusempra!" _I roared, and the grey haired man was knocked back, but regained his balance. He still hadn't cast anything towards us yet."Who is this guy?" I said to myself.

"Fenrir Greyback." Lupin answered coldly.

The name clicked. Fenrir Greyback. The most violent werewolf in existence. Known for mutilating witches and wizards even when he wasn't in the form of a werewolf. I cast my mind back to third year. Snape had taught us that werewolves have strong defences against magic in their fur. In their human form, it is weakened, but still effective against most attacks. As Lupin said his name, Fenrir stepped forward, pointing his wand in our direction. Lupin ducked, pulling me down with him. Red sparks flew from his wand towards Fenrir's knees, and exploded on contact. Greyback gave a yowl, too similar to a dog's, before snarling and stumbling towards us.

_Shit!_

"_Levicorpus!"_ I said out of instinct. Instinct was right. Greyback was drawn into the air, much to his own protests, and zoomed across the Ministry, into the vicinity of five Order members working as a pack. They quickly knocked him out with a spell that was muffled to my hearing. I thanked instinct for its quick cleverness. "Well… I've never done that before."

"I should hope not." Lupin replied. "You just saved our lives. And that's supposed to be _my_ job."

I still felt dazed, but managed to keep my wit. "Sorry, Professor."

We straightened and raced towards the centre of the room. There was only a few left. Bellatrix Lestrange was duelling Sirius, a vicious look on her face. Harry was warding off Lucius, with the assistance of the Tonks. There were only three others, but they were attacking Dumbledore, Kingsley helping. I allowed myself to breathe for a moment. _We actually have a chance. _I moved towards Harry.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

It happened in a few seconds. There was a sickening flash of green and an emerald bolt shot out from the tip of Bellatrix's wand like lighting. It made contact with Sirius's arm with a ripping sound. His wand dropped to the floor. The room fell silent just as the body fell. A thud. A scream. And then Sirius Black was dead.

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"SIRIUS!"

I'd never seen anyone die before.

"SIRIUS!"

It was so unnatural. One moment they're moving, breathing, living organisms and the next; quiet, still… lifeless. I turned away. I felt like I was watching something private. Something that belonged solely to the individual.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled again, to receive no response. It was not the sight of the body that disturbed me. I'd seen a body in such a state before. But Diggory's death had been different. I hadn't witnessed his last moments.

Sirius's assailant was cackling uncontrollably. Bellatrix appeared so full of life in a room that had gone silent as quickly as Sirius had. Harry was still calling his godfather's name. I could hear his voice bouncing off the walls. So full of pain. _Protect._

I gripped my wand tighter as I heard footsteps rushing toward me. Lucius Malfoy sprinted past, knocking me over as he dashed into the nearest fireplace, to disappear in a burst of light and heat. He'd been given an opportunity of escape and he'd taken it. He knew he was outnumbered.

"_I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK! I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK!"_

It was only when the Bellatrix declared her crimes that everyone came to their senses. Several spells were thrown through the space at Bellatrix, but before they reached her they were deflected by a pulse of air that knocked everyone from their feet.

I slid backwards across the tiled floor and hit my head painfully on the edge of the fireplace. The warmth of fresh blood ran down the back of my neck, and I knew I had a head wound. _Not good_. All my senses were clouded with a dominant fuzz for a few seconds before it deteriorated. _What the-?_

And then Lord Voldemort appeared.

He was deathly pale and bald. Two slits stood in as a replacement for a human nose. He wore a floor length billowing robe of coal black. The hands; skeletal and spindly, like two albino spiders stapled unevenly to his arms. He held his wand up to eyelevel. It was a marrow colour, and looked like it was actually made of bone. I avoided eye contact, lowering my gaze to his neck. I already knew the hypnotic effect had, and fear was making my brain think in disjointed instructions. _Still. Quiet. _

Harry knelt at his feet, beside the body. He seemed half expectant that Voldemort would arrive, and shakily stood, much to Bellatrix's amusement, who was still grinning with barely concealed glee. Several other Order members and teachers tried to stand and run towards the scene, but they were brought painfully to their knees. _No point. Can't try. He'll kill me. _I thought, logic getting the better of me.

My head was throbbing, so I raised my hand to cover the wound, only to feel an immense force push it back to the ground. _Don't move. _Hissed a familiar female voice in my head. _Okay. _I thought, and smiled. I felt so… exhausted; but that was ebbing away now. I deserved to relax. My body was aching, but oh, wait. Suddenly, I didn't care. Because everything was just so…_fine. Yes, I don't believe it – everything's fine!_ I felt like laughing, but for some reason, I thought that would be a bad idea. _But why not? Well, because Sirius has just died. Might be a bit disrespectful. Plus, Voldemort's here. _

I felt my pulse quicken. _Voldemort's here. Sirius was just murdered! _For a moment, I had completely forgotten that! But, how? _How could that have slipped my mind?! Oh, but there's no need for me to worry about that. Everything is just-_

No! A man is dead! _Remember that Ryuu! You are in the presence of the most powerful dark wizard on earth, and you're not worrying?! No, something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong._

_Everything's fine._

My thoughts were interrupted by a piercing scream as Harry fell to the floor. He was on his back, twitching like a madman. _Well, what's he doing that for? A seizure? Well, it's none of my concern._ I watched only half paying attention. _I'm hungry. I could really go for some food right now… _I felt lightheaded and dreamy as if I was only a spectator watching a film that wasn't very interesting.

"Go, Bellatrix!" Voldemort yelled.

"But, master!" she began to wail.

"Go, now. You're getting in the way!"

Voldemort's voice was demanding, and Bellatrix didn't need to be told again. She ran towards a fireplace directly opposite the one I was leaning against. She threw me a nervous glance. I could see she was deciding something, but I was actually thinking about how good Dad's pasta tastes. Finally, I noticed that Bellatrix had come to a conclusion and raised her wand to point at me. _Oh! Now that's odd isn't it? Whoa. I don't like that…_

My hand twitched, as her mouth slowly began to move. _What's she doing? No, this isn't good. Remember, Ryuu! Sirius is dead. Because of her._

_Don't move. _Her gaze was focused on me. Somewhere, far away, Harry was still screaming. Harry's screaming. _He's screaming…_

…_Shit! She's going to kill me!_

As my thoughts were slapped back to the reality of the situation, my body seemed to be hit in the chest with an invisible fist. And, out of nowhere, I was moving again. I threw myself to the side, just as a jet of green light hit the tiles where my head had been only a few seconds before. I stumbled, still in shock into the safety and cover of a pillar, as another green curse missed me by seconds.

_What just happened?! _I threw my thoughts back to the last few minutes. _I was pushed back. Hit the wall. Avoided eye contact with Voldemort. I moved to cover the gash at the back of my head. Then I was in some sort of trance. I felt… safe. Then, Bellatrix tried to kill me!_

Another spell hit the pillar, and I jumped. _Well, never mind that now. I have to do something about her. _I peered around the edge of the pillar, and peeked at my attacker. Bellatrix was wide eyed, but she wasn't moving, so I assumed that she didn't know that my head was exposed and thanked the limited light sources in the Ministry. Because her emotions were clearly printed in her body language, I could see that she was worried, angry, and frantic. Not a good mix. Especially for her. _She thinks I'll remain hidden._ I could see her shifting on the spot trying to decide whether to pursue me or follow her Lord's command and leave. _The fireplace,_ her back was to it. If I could just push her in there, she'd be transported out of here. But what's to stop her from just coming back?

"Where are you?!" she spat. Her wand pointing in scattered areas opposite her. _She thinks I've moved. Good. That'll give me some time to figure this out. _My eyes flickered to the fireplace behind her. I observed its surroundings. _There has to be something on it which they can use to close it so people don't just go breaking into the Ministry. Well, they do keep the phone booth open, _I thought frantically,_ But there has to be something! Tiles, railings, golden décor around the edges… there! _

It was a small mirror like object positioned on top of the fireplace in the middle of the mantle. In the centre was a red dot, like a staring pupil. _That must be how they block the fireplaces! There are no other weak points that I can see._ I followed a lead that went from the switch on the fireplace up to the roof. Stationed in the centre of the ceiling, was an even larger version of the mirror atop the fireplace, the red eye staring down. I spied several other leads reaching up to it, all from separate fireplaces.

I knew I was taking a chance, but it was the only chance I had. Harry's screams stopped, and were replaced with hissing noises. _Parsletongue. He's speaking in snake language. Oh shit; Voldemort is in his mind…_

I took a deep breath, shaking but holding my wand steady. _Gosh, this is idiotic! _I thought; and jumped out from my hiding place to face Bellatrix Lestrange. She instantly, raised her wand, but I was prepared. _"Stupefy!"_

She expressed a look of surprise before being propelled back into the fireplace and teleported out of the Ministry. I quickly directed my wand at the switch on the roof and muttered, _"Reducto." _

With a blast of orange sparks the glass smashed and the red dot extinguished. There was a crashing sound in each fireplace as iron bars fell over the entrances to the Ministry. I had done it.

For a few seconds, I rejoiced in my unexpected victory, before remembering that Lord Voldemort was in the room. I tiptoed out of the darkness and peeked into the entrance hallway. Voldemort was still in a severe mental lock with Harry, and neither of them had noticed a thing. They were surrounded by what appeared to be a dome of dust and sand, and I assumed that it would be useless trying to cast anything at them with a shield like that. I looked around at the Order members. All were completely still, their stare coated with a red sheen, and their gaze unwavering from Voldemort's eyes. I remembered back to the incident at Grimmauld Place at the start of the year, and it hit me. _They're under the same treatment I was. Hypnosis…_

I hurried over to Dumbledore, and knelt in front of his face. "Professor!" He remained locked in the hypnosis. I shook his shoulders, anxious. "Dumbledore!" I nearly screamed. Instantly, his eyes wavered, and he snapped out of his trance, hands shuffling for his wand. "Miss Veil! What-?"

"Don't look at his eyes!" I ordered before running to the next person, Tonks. It probably took me three minutes, but I fleeted around the room waking everyone up, even Neville and Hermione who were still huddled behind the golden statues. Once I had helped Neville hoist Hermione up, with her arms draped around our shoulders, the Order Of The Phoenix was already assembled in front of the shield, their wands pointing at it, and muttering several incantations. We hurried over to the other members of the DA and Ginny and Luna helped us with Hermione's weak body. The tops of her legs were twitching, and it was only a matter of time before she'd be able to walk again. I awkwardly reached into my pocket and held up my wand, still keeping one arm circled around Hermione's waist.

The sand-dust-dome shattered, making a sound like breaking glass. I squeezed my eyes shut from the blast of wind and then opened them when I could no longer fell the icy lash against my face. As the shield broke, Voldemort was momentarily distracted from meddling with Harry's head and he looked towards the crowd opposing him. Instantly, we all averted our gaze, and he laughed. "Ah, Dumbledore. To what do I owe the pleasure?" his voice was sadistic and smooth.

"The pleasure is all mine, Tom." Dumbledore replied curtly.

At the mention of the name, Voldemort paused. He then smiled, a sickeningly overjoyed gesture, before disappearing. He didn't disapperate; he simply vanished without a trace. I wildly looked around, searching the dark corners of the vast hall for any sign of him.

Then, Harry yelped.

He struggled to regain his composure as he rose to his feet and snarled. He was covered in cuts and bruises that hadn't been there before. His glasses were damaged beyond repair, and fell to his feet. Nobody moved to help him, because it was crystal clear that his eyes were blood red. Voldemort's voice slithered out from the snarl on Harry's lips. "Fools."

Dumbledore stepped forward, and offered a shaky hand towards the creature. "Harry, Please."

"Fools!"

I refused to look him in the eye. _Oh gosh. I want to get out of here, _I kept thinking over and over again. I couldn't stand listening to Voldemort's voice spitting out of Harry's mouth. For some reason, this chilled me more than anything that had happened here tonight. Dumbledore took a firm grasp on Harry/Voldemort's shoulder. "Harry-"

"-LOOK AT ME!" I nearly dropped Hermione, I jumped so violently. The yell had been mingled with Harry's voice. _He's… surely not… they're morphing. _

Slowly, Hermione shifted herself out of our hold, and began to stagger towards Dumbledore. Ron followed, along with Ginny. They stood in front of Harry/Voldemort and simply stared at it; obeying the order. But they weren't under hypnosis. They were just… watching. The red eyed being flinched and tightened its fists, falling against the fountains edge, it looked up at the people watching. Harry's family.

Mr and Ms. Weasley, who I hadn't noticed were here before, moved forward as well - Lupin in tow. When Harry/Voldemort caught sight of them, it screamed and grabbed at its dark hair, folding its head down between its knees.

Luna tapped me on the elbow and flicked her head towards the crowd huddled around the fountain. I could see what she was telling me. _It's our turn. _Still feeling uneasy, I grabbed her hand. She turned to Neville and grasped his shoulder. We moved along to the side, stepping over Sirius's body and stood in front of Harry/Voldemort. I felt Tonks brush beside me.

The thing in front of the fountain swivelled its red eyes to us and slammed its hands against the floor, flinging its head back in anguish. Although every fibre of my being was screaming at me to look away, I knew I mustn't. Harry/Voldemort whispered something that I couldn't decipher, before a dark mass rushed out from its chest, and it slumped against the marble; still.

And then Voldemort appeared next to him, again surrounded by a panel of dust and sand. He was only a few feet away from where we stood, and he raised his arms dramatically. My heart beat rapidly, as I prepared for a flash of green light. Voldemort stared directly at Dumbledore, face angrier than I could've imagined a face to ever be. "I declare war!" he yelled in a voice that filled the room.

Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowds, and raised her wand at him. I thought she was going to curse him, but she simply said, _"Lumos Maxima." _The light poured out from her wand, but Voldemort simply laughed in her face. Without fully knowing what was happening, several others followed McGonagall's lead, and lit their wands, pointing the light at the Dark Lord. Taking a breath, I raised my own wand. _"Lumos Maxima!" _I didn't know what was supposed to happen, but at least it was something. 

Light beamed through the space as everyone muttered the spell. Suddenly, Voldemort screeched and grabbed at his face, his chaotic laughter turning into terrifying screams. _What's happening?! _

When the light faded, he wrenched his hands away from his eyes, to display that they were no longer red, but a pale colour, like lychee flesh. And although I was looking directly at them, no hypnotic effects took over me. I stared, absolutely aghast. _We blinded Him! We took away His eyes!_ McGonagall flicked her sleeve as she returned her wand to her pocket, staring daggers at Voldemort as his lip curled. "We accept." she spat, in a tone that whipped across the silence.

The Dark Lord bellowed another screech before vanishing with a resolute crack.

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A/N: And so the war begins… you know how I said we were getting close to the end? *Mischievous smirk* I lied. Well, only partially. We _are_ getting close to the end of part one. Like the first part, part two is complete and I'll upload as often as I can – but there's still more chapters to finish this…


	21. Chapter 21 - Scars

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Every battle leaves scars. Some deeper than others.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 21 – Scars

Ryuu

"Oh, my, my, my! You should be ashamed of yourself! The bone looks like it's been butchered!" Madam Pomphrey tutted.

"Oh yes. I'm deeply sorry that I'm injured." I said tartly, wincing as she pressed a finger into my ankle.

Her brown eyes narrowed. "Don't you play smart with me, Missy. This is going to take some time to fix. C'mon, up."

I hoisted my weight onto my hands and levered myself into a sitting position. The Hospital's tight sheets crumpled under the pressure, in the same manner as my ankle did whenever I moved. I leant my back against the cold metal of the bed frame. Madam Pomphrey had recently given me a salve to ease the ache at the top of my spine, but the gel she'd roughly dabbed on my face was leaving an unpleasant sticky feeling across my nose.

Harry was unconscious in the bed opposite me. He hadn't woken up since the Ministry, but Madam Pomphrey had assured everyone that he was fine, and just needed some rest. She had cleared away most of the cuts and bruises on his face, but the triangular gash on his shoulder had needed some kind of purple mould substance to heal it.

Ron sat in a chair next to his bed, a bandage wrapped around his head, but otherwise fine. Ginny was propped up on the bed next to him, her arm in a sling. Several of her ligaments had been torn just below her shoulder, and it had been bleeding rapidly.

"The bone's been splintered! I'm surprised the cartilage hasn't been damaged. Never, ever try and fix injuries yourself again." She scolded as she poured a bright green liquid into a cup. She handed it to me. "Drink that. Slowly."

I raised the liquid to my lips and took a sip. My tastebuds flared in disgust. "This tastes like _anchovies_… and, oranges?"

"Just drink it." She said as she inspected the scars lacing my inner left arm.

I obeyed unhappily. Neville, who was in the bed on my right, called out. "Hey, everyone! I can talk again!" He smiled. His new tooth looked exactly the same as his old one. His nose was back to normal too, but slightly pinker.

"That's great Neville." Luna chimed from my left. Her bruises had faded considerably, and she was now having her fingers tended to by Snape. Three of them had been broken by the Death Eater who punched her in the face.

Hermione entered, now completely recovered from the mysterious spell that reduced her to a coma. She placed a cauldron cake on everyone's bedside table and I nodded my thanks. "You feeling better?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

I felt the meaning behind her lingering stare, but chose to ignore it and motioned towards my ankle. "Not really," I replied smoothly. Hermione merely frowned.

Madam Pomphrey's gaze did not move from my arm. "If you're talking, that means you're not drinking." I rolled my eyes and drank a whole gulp of the green liquid, which I regretted as soon as I had to endure the taste. I ignored Hermione's glance as she walked over to sit next to Ron.

Sunlight blanketed the room through the four high arched windows behind me. Several members of the Order strolled around the rows of beds, some of them bearing injuries, others completely fine. Curious, I reached for the mirror on my bedside table and inspected my face again. The long welt mark from the stinging jinx had almost entirely faded now, there was just a few centimetres at the bottom of my jaw that were still bright red. I looked up as Lupin and Tonks strolled over to where I sat, and returned the mirror to the bedside table. Madam Pomphrey cleaned the dried blood away with her wand as I sipped idly at my disgusting healing potion. Lupin sat in the chair next to my bed and Tonks looked wide eyed at my arm. I quickly spoke before she could question the scars, attempting a smile at Lupin. "Hello there, Professor."

A sideways nod. "How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?"

I laughed and then stopped abruptly as I remembered someone who used to call me Princess. I tore the thought from my mind, desperately rearranging my expression to normal. Thankfully, Lupin missed my hesitation and continued. "Ryuu, what happened?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific – _ouch!" _Madam Pomphrey mumbled a fleeting apology and painfully pressed her fingers into the scars on my arm again.

Tonks interjected, her hair was now a bright yellow. "He wants to know everything."

I shrugged and prattled on, beginning with our escape from Hogwarts on the thestrals. When I had finished, Lupin sideways-nodded. "I suppose you're wondering what happened to you when the rest of us were under Voldemort's eye contact trance?"

I wasn't used to having adults come up to me, speaking so normally and giving me advice."Well, yeah I was actually," I began, and winced as Madam Pomphrey applied a burning cold grainy mixture to my cuts.

"Well, it seems to me that Bellatrix Lestrange put you under the Imperius Curse." Lupin said carefully, watching for my reaction.

I paused and considered this. "I suppose… she did." I frowned. I hated the thought of someone else controlling me, but obviously Lupin was right. Bellatrix would have seen that I wasn't hypnotised and made sure that I wouldn't interfere. Of course, when she was told to leave she knew that the spell would break as soon as she did. So her next move was to kill me for good measure.

"…Ryuu?"

I looked up at Lupin and realised that I must've been silent for a long time. Hastily, I cleared my throat and returned my attention to my arm, which now felt like it was burning in cold flames.

I caught Lupin's slight smile in my peripheral vision. "You acted well, Ryuu. You managed to resist the Imperius curse and eliminate Bellatrix as an issue. If it wasn't for you, well, who knows what would have happened?"

Feeling awkward, I raised my head and managed a small grin to reassure him. He'd lied though, when he'd said that no one could have foreseen what would have happened if I hadn't chanced upon a plan. We would have died. All of us. Voldemort would have killed us. I repressed a shudder. I didn't much like the responsibility of saving lives. There was too much pressure. Too much depending on my luck and instincts. And I wasn't sure if anyone else realised how freaked out I was in that battle. "Lupin," I blurted out before he could walk away. He turned to me with raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry about Sirius," I finished softly. Sadly, Lupin nodded, and straightened his brown jacket before leaving to check on Harry. Tonks gave me a reassuring wink before she followed.

Madam Pomphrey gasped. "Oh! I'm so sorry, dear!"

I leaned over to look at my arm. "What is it?"

She bit her lip. "I've applied the solution, but, the scars should have cleared away by now! How many times did you use the quill?"

I performed a mental recap in my head. "Exactly thirty nine times." I replied meekly. For _Traitor_, at least. _Outlier_ had added an extra usage.

She washed her hands in a basin, throwing me a look of pity. "I was afraid of that. If you use those things in excessive amounts, the scars never disappear." As she caught the look on my face, she spoke again quickly. "Oh, but they will fade," She added quickly. "Just, they'll still be… _readable."_

I looked down at the cuts. _Traitor._ Somehow, the word fitted. "Oh…"

Madam Pomphrey gave me another pitiful glance before her eyes flickered to the cup in my hands. "Drink up! You need that ankle to heal." she snapped, before bustling away.

Ruefully, I took another sip just as Harry squinted into the bright room around him. He sat up and felt around his bedside table for his glasses, which had been fixed by magic. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"Well," Ron began, "We got You-Know-Who's spirit out of you, and then we blinded him, and now we're at war with all of his Death Eaters, and Dumbledore wants to have a word with you... also your left knee is sprained."

Harry flexed his fingers and blinked several times. "Brilliant…" he managed to say.

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Draco

"Draco." My mother's voice cooed from the doorway. I looked up to meet her grey stare. She nodded once. "It is time."

I stood and walked out the door but she grabbed my wrist before I could walk ahead of her. "Draco," she whispered, "you don't have to do this."

"Yes. I do." I said as I released myself from her grip and left her behind me. Before I was out of earshot, she said: "The timber. Grip it tight."

There were only three people in the room when I entered. Aunty Bellatrix stood by the fire; I knew she would be the one to wield the poker. She hadn't spoke of what happened at the Ministry, simply that she was sent away, but something about the way she had said it gave me an inkling that she was lying.

My father stood behind the one chair in the room, his lip curled downwards and his eyes strangely wide. He'd cut his hair short a few days ago and already it was beginning to grow unevenly. My mother and I weren't sure why he had done it, but we guessed it was out of stress. He had come back from the Ministry and was severely angry. So angry that he took a knife to his hair and sliced it off. After throwing around several items of furniture, and beating me across the face with his cane, he settled down and sat for two days straight. Without moving, or eating. Eventually, he told my mother all that had happened while I listened carefully behind the door. Mother said he was sick. I knew he was scared.

Sitting in the armchair was the Dark Lord. My parents had prepared me for this moment many times when I younger, the moment when I would finally meet him. But, despite all my training, I felt weak in his presence. I froze as I spied his snake Nagini slithering around the top of the chair. I knew he had a snake as a pet, but not one this big. I couldn't move as I looked at it. _Then don't look at it, Draco._

I averted my gaze and instead looked at the Lord's eyes. Mistake. Mother had warned me not to do this at the best of times. And because of recent events, he was very conscious of people looking him in the eye. They used to be red and have hypnotic powers that he'd use on his enemies. But, because of a recent incident at the Ministry, their powers were removed and their colour reduced to a pale white. He could still see, except now he didn't have as much of an effect as he used to.

However, The Dark Lord did not notice my flaw, for he was talking to his snake. I quickly knelt to the ground and bowed my head. "My Lord."

"Rise." he said distractedly, voice high and scathing.

I obeyed and waited for my next command. He finished talking to Nagini and stood. I stared straight ahead as He circled me, prodding me in the back, picking up my left arm, and observing how I held my wand, even staring at me full in the face and watching my reaction. When I kept my features blank, He spoke. "You have shown potential Draco."

I didn't reply. He nodded, accepting that I wasn't foolish enough to answer His statement. He circled me again, flicking His wand between His fingers. "How does it feel… to be chosen when you are only…?"

"Sixteen, My Lord."

"Sixteen!" He cast a glance towards my father and His mouth twisted into what could have been a smile. "So young…"

I nodded, solemnly. "It is an honour, My Lord."

He stopped and stared into my eyes. "Of course it is, Draco. You are about to become the youngest Death Eater in history."

There was a silence around the room as everyone absorbed the information. Then, the Dark Lord clapped His hands at Aunty Bellatrix and she carefully retrieved the poker from the folds of her skirts, and placed the tip into the black flames. The Dark Lord guided me over to the fireplace, and my father swooped over to me and pointed his wand at my mouth.

He whispered a short incantation so I wouldn't bite my tongue, and then finished with _"Silenceo." _He then pulled out a thick slab of timber from his robes and pressed it firmly in my right palm. He walked away, without saying any words of consolation.

Aunty Bellatrix lifted the poker from the fire. "Alright, sweetie."

I slid the sleeve on my right arm up, so that my pale bare flesh was exposed. The Dark Lord gave her a nod, and she slowly grabbed my wrist, and pressed the poker into my skin.

It burned. The pain seared up my arm, like white hot needles drawing patterns in my flesh. I squeezed my face almost as hard as I pressed my fingers around the piece of wood in my right hand. My nails gouged imprints into the timber, as the pain increased, and I opened my mouth in a silent scream. In my mind I could hear the yells, but no sound came out from my lips. I staggered, but Aunty Bellatrix kept a firm clasp on my wrist and I couldn't move away from the pain.

Finally, she peeled the brander from my skin carefully, checking to see if the imprint was clear. I stood still and endured in silence. If I jolted now, and the tattoo became smudged, it would be cleared away and I would have to do this all again. After a few minutes of this slow process, the poker was finally removed.

She released me and I stumbled back so that I nearly slammed against the door. Regaining my balance, I held my arm straight and watched as the mark went from a burning red to a deep, permanent black. The flesh around the tattoo was a shiny rosy pink colour.

"Congratulations, Draco." The Dark Lord said, as the snake in my Dark Mark slithered.

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Ryuu

"Chicken has _never_ tasted so good." said Ron as he took another bite from the drumstick. I had to agree. After days of hospital food, the Great Hall dinner was irresistible. I broke off another piece of bread and dipped it into my soup.

Harry slurped at his own bowl and I couldn't help staring at him. For the first day since he had came to in the Hospital Wing, he'd barely spoken a word. It was difficult to console someone who was grieving silently. You couldn't tell if the comfort was going to help him or break him apart. But the next morning, after he'd returned from Sirius's burial he'd seemed oddly calm. Throughout the day I'd watched him go through the stages as people offered their condolences. Maybe I'd only seen him in the better times, but to me he seemed to be handling it pretty well. _Perhaps he's used to loss. _The thought propped up randomly and I felt a pang of sympathy.

We all avoided bringing up his godfather in any form. It had happened awkwardly, once and Harry had left the room after mumbling that he was going to see Hagrid. I didn't know what I was expecting – raging? Fury? But I was thankful that Harry wasn't doing these things. He was behaving – remarkably enough – quite normal. And I could've sworn when I'd first seen him today, that his eyes had looked greener than I'd seen them all year.

I looked around the Great Hall. There were considerably less students seeing as all of the Slytherins had disappeared. Just as I'd told the Order, most of them were Death Eaters now. Lupin walked over from the table where the Order huddled around and joined us. He gave a nod towards Dumbledore at the staff table and then turned his attention back to our little group. "I have some news."

"Good or bad?" Hermione asked him cautiously.

"Good, very good." He said and smiled at us. "First of all, the entire Order Of The Phoenix has asked me to thank you for the work you have done this year at Hogwarts. Both revolutionary, and… _secretive." _As he said the last word, he glanced at me.

Ron beamed. "Anytime."

Lupin jumped on that comment. "Yes, well that was our thought process exactly. Your efforts were so helpful that we've decided to appoint all four of you as official members of the Order."

"What?" I stammered. Ron and Harry shared a grin as Hermione thanked Lupin for his appreciation, brandishing a modest smile. But I remained frowning. Lupin noticed my lack of thankfulness and questioned. My mind was reeling and I suddenly felt odd. I didn't feel like everything I'd done this year for the Order was something to be rewarded for.There was an awkward quiet and Harry, Ron and Hermione – perhaps noticing my expression - quickly turned back to their meals, still obviously eavesdropping. Lupin focused on me. "Is something wrong, Ryuu?"

My mouth felt very dry as several dozen thoughts whirled through my head at a hundred miles a minute. Lupin's chocolate brown eyes narrowed, and I could see that Hermione had fixed me in one of her considering gases over the top of her goblet. Like I had been for months, I pushed my concerns to the back of my mind and smiled. "No, just surprised I guess."

Lupin raised his glass, and motioned that we all do the same. "A toast. To the newest and _youngest_ members of the Order."

I faked a grin to match everyone else's and skulled my Pumpkin Juice so quickly I choked.

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A/N: Bit of a contrast isn't it? As initiation to the Order it's raising a goblet over a hearty meal. But searing pain, silent screams and a brand being burned permanently into your flesh? Welcome to the Death Eaters sonny. Maybe the real question is who regretted their recruitment more once it was done?


	22. Chapter 22 - Raindrops

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Well here it is: the last chapter before Part 2. Did anyone predict this, or did you have any other excellent theories to what would happen? I'm interested to know; feel free to tell me if you wish.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 22 – Raindrops

Ryuu

As soon as Hermione and I had passed through the portal and into the muggle world, we walked straight towards the nearest pay phones and began to dial in synchrony. King's Cross Station wasn't particularly packed today, but there was soon to be more coming through the passage. Every student who was fourteen years of age or under had been told that they could not fight in the war. Naturally, among most of them this had caused an uprising, so it had been decided that if they chose to they could remain at Hogwarts and train to become soldiers. The rest had to go home.

_Hogwarts. It's become the military. _I thought as the dial tone ceased after the third ring. "Hello?" said the slightly flustered voice of my mother.

"Mum, it's me." I felt myself smiling, and it only hit me then just how much I'd missed my parents.

"Ryuu? Oh gosh, you're a few hours early! Wait right there, I'll come and get you-"

"No, Mum! It's okay. I was just ringing to tell you that I'll walk home."

"Don't be silly, I'll pick you up." she said. In the background I could hear her pacing along the floor of the apartment.

"Mum. It's fine." I assured her. "You've got Dad there, right?"

"…Yes-"

"-Well, he'll be tired from his trip right?" My tone was teasing. Dad had recently gone to Egypt, and had only returned this morning. For someone who travels a lot, he was severely prone to jetlag. He often got headaches and sometimes could barely stand upright.

"…Yes, but-"

"Well, he needs you by his side."

"He'll be fine," she said anxiously, "I'll be there as quick as I can."

"Mum," I began chidingly, "In this traffic, it'll take you longer to get here than it will for me to walk." She responded in silence, so I continued. "It's not that far – I'll be careful."

"Oh, Ryuu! Damn your logic! I'll make a meal for you, okay?"

I laughed. "I love you Mum."

"I love you too, you stubborn child."

I grinned as I placed the phone back in its receiver, the sick feeling in my gut spreading. I loved them too much.

I waited for Hermione to complete the conversation with her parents. She finished the call and her mouth twisted. "They'll be here soon." she said, not looking at me.

"Hermione?" I ducked my head to meet her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," she smiled waveringly, which did not convince me. "Don't worry about me." She checked her watch. "Alright. We have two hours. At 10 am, Kingsley will be here to pick us up. So, make sure you're here by then."

I nodded. It was probably the third time she had explained this to me, but I could tell she was anxious. Clumsily, and to my surprise, she embraced me and I whispered in her ear. "Hermione, they're going to be fine. The four of them will be lounging in the Australian outback talking about old times."

She laughed, and broke apart, eyes shining. "Bye." I smiled at her, forcing myself to look more confident then I felt, and walked away.

I'd always admired London's beauty. The architectural mix of ancient and modern on average commercial streets. The tall ornate buildings. The many bridges over the river, each one individual. The people looked the same. Blank faced, deep in their own issues as they paced down the pavement to various destinations. Elderly couples, arms linked and smiling in the pride of their everlasting love. Children holding onto the hands of their parents, too innocent to understand the consequences of letting go.

But something had changed.

The air seemed denser, as if it was thick with something heavy, something that wasn't supposed to be there. Clouds were painted across the sky, their light grey reminding me of someone. The streets appeared emptier, even though it was likely they were no different to a normal day. But still, I kept a firm grip on my wand. The tip of the handle was just peeking out from the pocket of my jacket.

Britain was at war, and most of its inhabitants didn't know it yet. Muggles were not safe. That's why I dreaded the thought of my parents leaving the apartment. Hermione and I had agreed that they couldn't stay here. It had been her idea to send them away. Teaching me how to perform the memory charm had been complicated. It wasn't as simple as a regular Obliviation, we also had to focus on implanting memories as well as extracting them. I had to be sure I could do this perfectly, because if I got one detail wrong, I could severely damage their brains. In less than two hours time, my parents would call up their long time friends who they had known in high school. The Grangers and the Veils would buy tickets to Australia and have an extremely long holiday. But, after being there for a few months, they would decide to live in this new country. My gaze fell to my shoes as they clacked on the path below. _But most importantly, both couples are childless. _

A raindrop stain splattered the cement beneath me. Several more left a mark, and I looked up to feel one of them hit my cheek. I cursed myself for not having an umbrella, before remembering that I didn't need one. I carefully slipped my wand into my hand and pointed it up at the air above me. _"Protego." _I whispered.

The shield was only a small one, but it was substantial enough to keep the rain off me. I smiled. It was truly glorious to be able to use magic outside of school, even though it was depressing to think of why I could.

I flinched as an ear-splitting crack sounded from across the street. I swept my gaze towards the source, to see nothing. Then, a figure emerged from behind a shop. He was soaking wet and quivering with anger. I gasped.

_Draco._

He was staring directly at me.

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Draco

There she was.

_Ryuu._

She was staring directly at me.

My wand slid from my sleeve and into my palm. Instantly, she spun on her heel and ran into the alleyway behind her. _Foolish move._

I advanced, and was almost run over by one of those _accursed _cars. I reached the sidewalk on the other side of the street and sprinted down the alleyway. It was long, but I could still see her scrambling around the left corner. The alleyway was surprisingly wide, and I pondered at this as I chased her. My question was soon answered when several large cargo coloured dumpsters came into sight on the next turn.

I was faster than her. And gaining speed. Her short legs could barely outrun me already, but fear seemed to propel her forward. She turned a corner, and slowed. I could see she had made a mistake, so I ran in closer. She raced away from me, avoiding another dumpster and turned to face me at the dead end.

The rain poured down on us as she raised her wand. _"Rictusempra!"_

But I had already predicted she'd attack. I non-verbally summoned a shield that deflected the spell back to her. She flung herself to the side, but I managed to disarm her before she could attack again.

Quicker than I had expected, she leaped towards my feet where her wand lay. I kicked it behind me, and she rolled backwards to stand a few feet in front of me, her back facing the wall. She was running out of options. It was clear that I had the advantage.

Suddenly, she opened her mouth and took a deep breath. "HELP-!"

"Oh no you don't!" I raced forwards and muffled her yell by covering her mouth with my palm. I forced her against the dark bricked wall as she struggled. Her feet kicked at my legs, but I pressed her side against the wall with my knee so that she was pinned. Her arms punched at my head and torso. I locked her wrists together with my left hand and elbow, so that she was completely restrained. Her eyes widened. Now, she was scared. She knew I was stronger than her. She squirmed in my grip, struggling for breath, and I closed her jaw so that she wouldn't bite me. I glared at her, square in those startling green eyes. "I will let you go, when you stop trying to kill me."

Her body relaxed slightly, but her eyes never left mine. I snarled and released my hand from her jaw. Suddenly, she heaved all of her body weight against my own, so that I was thrown back a few metres, trying to block her blows. "And_ I_ will stop fighting, when _you_ stop trying to kill me!"

I dragged her over to the left side wall and tried to stop her from thrashing. This was going to be more physically draining than I had presumed.

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Ryuu

My body was tired. This was extremely frustrating seeing as I needed all the strength I could get right now. But I knew I couldn't overpower him. He was too _damn_ strong. I needed my wand but it was out of my reach. My mind soared over scattered memories of my father's advice on self defence._"Scream. Call out to anyone in the vicinity. The predator doesn't want to be noticed." _I'd already tried that. All that had done was given me a hand to my mouth._"Fight. Throw everything you have at him. Hit weak points. Eyes. Throat. Groin." _Again, useless. I was trapped in this position._"Run. Fast. To somewhere public." _I couldn't do that. I could barely move."_Go limp. This will confuse the enemy. They'll think you have passed out from shock or exhaustion, but if they try to carry you anywhere; escape." _

I flayed at him one more time before leaning against the wall, maintaining eye contact with him, and relaxing my entire body so I fell sideways. My eyes were closed, so I couldn't see Draco catching me. He held me in his arms and shook me. "Stop faking!" I remained still, feeling the icy prick of raindrops hit my face. "Ryuu!"

Suddenly, I swung my fist at where I assumed his face to be, and felt the crushing slippery impact. The rain was not in my favour. I was dropped to the ground, and I desperately scrambled for my wand, slipping on the puddle stained ground.

But Draco was too quick. He picked me up and propped me against the wall again, despite my protests. This time, he wedged me against the dumpster. I was out of ideas. I had to withdraw, try and think of other tactics. I didn't like this, but I forced myself to retire. For now. I met his gaze. He was soaked with rainwater and looked like he hadn't slept in some time. His eyes were hollowed and hard, his voice layered with hatred. I supposed I didn't look any different. There was a pause in which his eyes searched my face, before he sneered. "How long?" Draco asked lowly.

I blinked and made my voice flat. "You'll have to be a bit more specific."

He slammed his fist against the wall next to my head. "How long, Ryuu?!"

I remained calm, knowing that I couldn't fight force with force. Sighing heavily, I responded. "Long enough."

He grimaced. "It was the whole time wasn't it?" When I didn't reply he glared at me, before snarling. "You _bitch."_

I rolled my eyes, still forcing myself to sound unperturbed. "Is that all you have to say? Because I'm a bit busy moving on with my life – you know; _the one without you in it!"_

_Slam. _I winced. His silver eyes were threatening, like chips of ice. "Have you uttered a single word of truth since I met you?!"

"Actually, yes." I replied curtly, hating myself. "My name is Ryuu."

He didn't answer respond and instead snarled, tightening his hold in me. "My father told me you were at the Ministry-"

I jutted out my chin, and smiled cruelly. "-Did he tell you about the part where he ran away like a coward?"

_Slam. _The fist pounded against the bricks again, and this time I could feel it vibrate through my head, but I refused to react. "He said he saw you there with The Order of The Phoenix. Is that who you were working for? Or did you just get _bored_ one day?"

My anger flared up and I yelled. "You don't know anything do you? I did what was right-"

"NO, Ryuu!" Draco barked back. I blinked raindrops from my eyelashes. "You're a liar, and a traitor - _not_ a hero!"

"HA!" I exclaimed in scorn. "So _I'm_ the bad guy?! Whatever you say – _Death Eater!" _Draco's entire body tensed. "How dare you say that, when you're running around doing Voldemort's-" (Draco flinched at the sound of his master's name) "-dirty work like a _pathetic_ lost dog!"

"DO YOU THINK I HAVE A CHOICE!" Draco yelled so loud, that I jumped and my head collided painfully with the bricks behind me. He glared at me in anguish. "HE'LL KILL ME! HE'LL KILL MY WHOLE FAMILY IF I DON'T DO IT!"

Feeling empty, I rolled my eyes and hissed snarkily. "Cliché excuse."

"Oh yeah?" he said threateningly, his face moving closer so I had nowhere to look but his eyes, even though my vision was blurring from the rain. "Well what's your excuse, Ryuu? So much of a _soulless bitch_ that you have to lie just to get somebody to want you?"

I felt my face blanch and clenched my jaw defiantly. "Fuck you." I said in disgust. Draco just stared at me, and for a moment I listened to the hammering sound of the rain pouring on the cement ground. I was shaking and knew that Draco could feel it, but I didn't care anymore. Angrily, I blinked the raindrops from my vision and stared defiantly back into his piercing gaze. "So, what now Draco? You're pissed off, and you've come here to vent your anger out onto the person who caused it all."

Draco stiffened and I felt an unpleasant sneer stretch across my mouth. "I've been reading you like a book all year. Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't try to find me sooner." Draco was staring at me, blank faced and silent as raindrops splashed down onto my cheeks. "Well, here I am!" I spat, shifting slightly forward so that I was off the wall. "At your disposal. What are you going to do? Yell at me? Threaten me? Hit me?"

I felt Draco's hands curl into fists and watched as his expression hardened. I raised my eyebrows, continuing in a low, calm tone. _"Kill me?_ Would you kill me, Draco?" I said smoothly, watching him with unwavering eyes but secretly panicking. The clusters of raindrops in my eyelashes blurred my sight again and I blinked them away. "All it would take is one quick spell and I'm dead. _Is that what you want?!"_ I finished in a yell, but he remained completely still, continuing to stare at me with those cold grey eyes.

I shook my head, still knowing I was trembling. "No. You're not going to kill me. You're not going to do anything to me. And I know why." Mustering up all of my concentration I managed to stitch a convincing triumphant smile on my face. Leaning a little closer, I whispered, glaring at him. "Because no matter how much you hate me, you're still in love with me. _And that terrifies you."_

For what felt like an eternity, Draco merely stood there and my heart plummeted._ It didn't work. _I tried to think of what to do next, but couldn't. Then, catching me off guard Draco spoke in a voice so quiet I had to strain to hear it.

"I hate you."

Then there was a deafening crack as he disapperated.

I stared at the space where his face had been seconds before, feeling ten thousand things at once, the rain pummelling down on my head. "I know," I whispered in response. I was breathing heavily, his words piercing at my ears. Slowly, I walked over to where my wand lay on the ground and drew a shield above my head once more. Again, I wiped the rainwater from my eyes. Everything appeared hazy because they had collected so much.

It was only when the tears continued to stream down my face that I realised they weren't raindrops at all.

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	23. Chapter 1 - Goodbye

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: PLEASE BE WARNED: The rating of part two may be MA, I'm not completely certain. Part two contains: violence, abuse, character death/s, gore, coarse language, implications of sexual assault, violence (again), adult themes, angst, angst, so much angst. Just so you're aware; it gets quite dark at times – this is about a war. I'd like to thank all of my readers for sticking with Ryuu and Draco, and hope you enjoy the rest of Dragons Among Serpents.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 1 – Goodbye

Ryuu

At some point in their life, every child has hated their parents.

The lights in Grimmauld Place flickered due to the effects of the storm. My hand slid along the railing of the staircase, as it criss-crossed upwards to the top floor.

Reasons could vary. They were completely different to you. They wouldn't let you go out to your friend's party. You grew up and began to realise that they weren't perfect; that they make mistakes.

My entire being was saturated in rainwater. The squelching sound of my shoes pricked the silence of the building as I approached the end of the hallway. The large red door was a few feet away now.

Well, I never did.

I felt myself tremble as I reached out to the door handle. My hand struggled to turn it as it slipped across the brass.

Sure, it had been difficult. Because of their professions, parental guidance had been limited. But they had always made time for me. They had made a constant effort to take care of me, to protect me. I never doubted that all of their actions were for my benefit.

I opened the door and walked into the light of my home. My mother was standing behind the kitchen bench, stirring a pot on the stove. My father, his face tinged a pale green was beside her chatting quietly. He looked up at my arrival, his blue eyes smiling.

And now it was time for me to return the favour.

"Whoa, Ryuu! Did you swim here or something?" My father walked towards me, removing his coat so he could slump it around my shoulders.

I didn't reply. I didn't want to.

Mum looked up from the focus of her concentration. She'd hardly ever been able to make a decent meal, so whenever she cooked her brow adopted this severe line across it that narrowed her eyes and made her jaw go stiff. However, when she saw me, she dropped the spoon and raced to my side. "Oh my gosh! Dammit! I _knew_ I should have picked you up! Why didn't you tell me you didn't have an umbrella?"

_Mum… _I shook my head so violently that my wet hair whipped around my cheeks. Both of them sensed the change in my demeanour and asked what the problem was. _Everything. Everything's wrong._

"Ryuu…? C'mon, you need to get warm. You'll catch a cold." My wand twitched in my palm as I began to raise it to point at them. Dad was the first to notice and stared at me. I'd rarely seen this face. Worry. But not for himself. For me. Just like everything else he'd done. Everything he'd worked for.

"Ryuu. Put the wand down." His voice was distant.

My mother gasped as she saw my face. "Honey, what's wrong?"

I shook my head. They backed away a few steps in unison. My father held up a hand, and spoke in a soothing tone; his reading glasses glinted from his top pocket. "Ryuu. Calm down."

"SHUT UP! JUST; DON'T…" I pleaded. My voice had never sounded like this before. Neither of them moved. My father stared at me in shock. Even when I was younger I'd never raised my voice at them. Because they meant too much to me. My mother was speaking to me softly, green eyes that were identical to mine, soft and staring. I didn't hear what she said. I wasn't listening. Hesitantly, she took a step forward, holding her arm out towards me. I jabbed my wand in their direction before they could come any closer. _"IMMOBULUS!"_

Instantly, their movements subsided, and they were frozen in place. I swept the hair out of my eyes and stormed past them. Moving along the walls, I started with the photos. The beautiful pictures that my father had taken. Me taking my first steps. My mother and I all dressed up to attend my Aunt's wedding. A recent picture of me that had only been taken last year. I was smiling and displaying my Prefect's Badge proudly.

Carefully, I removed the shots from their frames, and did the same to any other photos of myself. I then moved to my bedroom. I rummaged through my things until I found the black travelling bag that my mother had bought me for my birthday. With a simple levitation spell, I removed all evidence of my inhabitancy and floated them into my bag. Most of my possessions were already at Hogwarts, but I had left a few minor things here.

Spare sketchpads and stationary zoomed towards me. A moving photograph of Luna, Zach, Dennis and I, that Colin Creevy had taken, folded in half as it slipped between the zippers. Old clothes, books by Stephen King which I had read too many times, Dusk's favourite toy which had been hiding beneath my bed, a box of silver dress robes; all of them fell into the depths of the bag, fitting neatly like Tetris blocks.

When my room was bare, I stared at it in wonder. _It's like no one ever lived here. _It looked much larger than it had before. The cupboard's doors were open and I hastily closed them to hear the familiar clicking sound that it always made. I opened the curtains wide, to see that the near hurricane outside had only progressed. I paced into my parents room, and stole some money to pay for a taxi. I then turned, and went to face my Mum and Dad one last time.

I stood in front of them, prepared to leave forever. My mother's eyes flickered to scan over me before shaping into perfect circles. They were still, so much so that it was impossible not to look at them. The entire apartment appeared more real than they were.

"Mum… Dad… something horrible has happened."

Of course they didn't reply, but I knew that they could still listen; so I continued.

"The wizarding world is at war. A war with an extremely powerful wizard, that – that no one _alone_ can stop." I put a lot of emphasis on the word alone for a reason. They needed to understand why I was doing this. Even if it wouldn't matter in a few minutes. "People are gathering at Hogwarts to fight back. The castle will be a base, guarded by its safe wards. Students that are too young to fight in battle can train there, to become soldiers. But some of us are of age." I stepped forward. "And I… I'm not going to just sit by and watch."

I could practically feel their sadness. My grandfather on my Dad's side had been in the military and had never returned. Dad hadn't been able to forgive him for that. For leaving him to be the man of the house, with three sisters to look out for and a mother beyond the verge of depression. I hated the thought of Dad being disgraced by my decision. And Mum. She already worried enough if I was sick with a common flu, never mind if I was-

I stopped the tangent before it progressed. "But it's okay. Really, it is. Because you don't need to stress about me. I can help you…" I lifted my wand, directing it in between both of them. It was shaking as much as my voice. "I can help you forget."

In my mind I could hear what they would say. _"Ryuu! No! Stay here with us! You don't have to do this! We don't want you to do this." _But my mouth was already forming the words. Wisps of what looked like silver smoke drifted from their temples and flowed together to make a singular stream. The strands flowed into the tip of my wand, fluid as water, and for a moment their eyes glazed over, before clearing; their minds replacing history with myth.

Feeling shivers tingle up and down my spine, I turned and opened the door. Without looking back, I began to close it gently, releasing the body bind curse just before it shut. Staring at the painted red wood of the door, I stood there for a moment, listening as footsteps clacked across the timber floors inside. "Hey," my mother said groggily. "The stew should be ready. You want to serve up?"

"Sure." My father replied. I listened as he walked across to the kitchen, before his pace stopped abruptly. "Err… Felicity?"

"Hmm?"

There was a small pause before my father spoke with a hint of suspicion in his voice."Why did you get out three bowls?"

I held my breath at the silence that followed before I heard my mother answer in her usual bright voice that was clouded with something that should have been there before. "I… don't know…"

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Draco

Silence.

Its sound was almost unbearable. I sat in my room, waiting. Even though I wasn't certain what I was waiting for. It wasn't raining here like it was in London. Sunlight danced around all areas of Malfoy Manor. It was a strange sight, a building that was usually so dark and dreary filled with yellow light and warmth.

My parents hadn't questioned my soaked apparel when I had returned. Or rather, they hadn't noticed. My father had barely left his study since the war was declared. He never spoke, except to congratulate me on my Mark whenever he saw me. It was like he had forgotten that he'd said it so many times before. Or maybe he truly was overjoyed.

My mother had stopped doing anything that would usually delight her. Nowadays, it was rare that I saw her in the Manor at all. Usually, I'd find her in her own private room, admiring the art or lost in one of her favourite books from the library. But as I looked out the window now, she was strolling around the gardens. Not admiring the greenery, but deep in thought or recollection. Unlike my father, she still kept to her usual ways of dressing in her finest clothing and presenting herself accordingly. But something had afflicted her, had allowed her to lower her shoulders ever so slightly.

The Lord had left a few days prior, journeying to apply more Death Eaters to his ranks. Aunty Bellatrix had gone with him, much to the relief of the servants who had been the victims for her practises of non-verbal torturing. Her attitude hadn't changed at all.

The bruises that covered my body from where she had struggled against me in the alleyway were quickly fading. One of the slaves had thought it appropriate to bring me a salve to treat them. Usually I wouldn't have trusted Tibbli's attempts at servitude, but the cream had worked.

I relaxed into the chair and listened. No birds flew overhead. Nobody spoke. I couldn't hear the sound of anyone pacing the corridors. There was no shatter due to the clumsiness of a cleaning servant. The air outside was still. I could barely hear myself breathing.

Just silence.

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Ryuu

"Oh, thank heavens Ryuu! Why didn't you call before?! I was worried that something had happened. Kingsley's here, we've been waiting for you."

"Sorry, Hermione. I just…"

"What?"

"…Nothing. I'm at King's Cross now."

I handed the cab driver all the money in my pocket, even though he tried to give some of it back. Ignoring his confused speech, I exited and flung my bag over my shoulder. Hermione's voice became softer through the receiver. "Did you…?"

I nodded, but then realised she couldn't see me. "Yes. Did you?"

"Yes."

I trudged down the stairs and onto the platform, searching the crowds for any sign of Hermione and Kingsley. Eventually, I caught sight of them and hung up the mobile phone as I approached.

Hermione shook her head at me, smiling. "And you didn't think to dry yourself?"

I remembered suddenly that I was still sopping wet, even though the taxi ride had allowed me about twenty minutes of warm air. I looked down at my coat, crinkled from my struggle in the alleyway. "Oh. Right."

Neither of them questioned, and instead smiled at me. Hermione and I took Kingsley's arm, and we vanished with a warped feeling writhing through my limbs.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was watching. _

_She stared at her mother for a long time, thinking deeper than what was expected of one so young. Her mother hadn't noticed however, for the words she was writing were very important. The girl knew this, but didn't understand. For now, that was beyond her reach._

"_Mummy!"_

"_Yes?" Her mother instantly stopped her work to focus on her daughter. The girl was impatient, and when her voice took on this tone, the mother knew it was a severe question. _

_The girl's bright green eyes glinted from the attention. In her head, she carefully strung together the thought to make into words. She didn't know half as many words as her mother, and she was eager to learn. "What are you doing, Mummy?"_

_Her mother smiled. "I'm writing a letter."_

"_To who?" _

"_The bank."_

_The girl nodded. Although she'd never visited this place, she knew of its purpose. "Why Mummy? Why are you writing a letter to the bank?" she finished the question and grinned, proud about the long sentence she'd devised. _

_Her mother folded the letter in half. "For you, honey. To make sure that some of our savings go towards you." The girl pouted, confused and the mother tried again. "Daddy and I are going to give some of our money to you, but for now, the bank will keep it safe."_

_The girl's little hands clutched at the edge of the desk, her blonde hair framing her small face. The mother lifted her up to rest upon her lap as the girl queried again. "But why would I need money, Mummy? That's what you and Daddy are for."_

_Her mother laughed and stroked the girl's palm. "Cheeky." The girl giggled; a gloriously innocent sound. "But when you're older, you'll want to move apart from us. And that's when you'll need money to get your own house." _

_Her green eyes opened so wide they appeared inhuman. "But- no, Mummy! Why would I want to leave you?! No, I want to stay here!" The girl protested so strongly that her cheeks began to flush red and she shook her head from side to side._

"_Hey," the mother embraced her daughter closed to her, twirling her fingers through her golden hair. "Shhh… it's okay." _

_After a few minutes, the girl relaxed, nudging her forehead against her mother's neck. The mother whispered, half to herself, "Someday you'll understand."_

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A/N: Meet the blonde girl with the green eyes. You'll be hearing from her quite a bit…


	24. Chapter 2 - Murderers In Uniform

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Oh my Rowling, so sorry about the delay. Damn muggle technology. So, here is the second chapter and I will really try to post as much as possible. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed – I will message you back with a playlist for DAS (Dragons Among Serpents). Enjoy!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 2 – Murderers In Uniform

Ryuu

I stared at the silver ring. The snake glinted in the light from the window. In the reflection of the dragonstone I could see a bulbous version of my face. What was I supposed to do with this? I longed to get rid of it, to banish it from my sight. But no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't leave. Startled, I tore the ring from my finger and threw it across the room. It chinked against the edge of the fireplace and fell on the stone floor. Dusk looked at me sadly from his position at my side purring in contempt, but I ignored him.

"_I love you." _

"_I know."_

"_I hate you."_

"_I know."_

The words blurred together until their meaning was lost in my mind. I dug my fingernails into the quilt until they broke the silk lining. _The whole time – the entire time I was building bridges just to burn them._

I hated the thought of wallowing in guilt. _What's done is done,_ I'd continue to say to myself; but to no avail. Even forcing the blame away from myself didn't work; I still felt a horrible lag storming over me all the time. Besides, I knew I couldn't even try and completely blame the Order for everything that had happened. I'd acted under their suggestion but of my own accord. I may have taken the Order's bullet but I had been the one shooting. I scowled. Increasingly, I had the feeling that I was being used as a pawn by the Order of the Phoenix and by Dumbledore – which I didn't like one bit. But how could I escape now? I was already too far into the game.

I grimaced and threw myself from the comfort of my bed, insistently pacing without reason. A flicker of movement caught my eye, and I staggered only to realise that it was my own reflection. The bathroom door was ajar and I could just see my face watching me from the sidelines. I advanced and stared into the mirror. Slowly, my hand lifted up my sleeve and the words carved into my skin appeared in my reflection.

_Traitor._

_This is who you are Ryuu._

Quickly, I banished the thought. _No, shut up. _Sighing, I looked at myself. The familiar blonde curly hair had lengthened considerably. My mother's eyes bored into me, unyielding. They looked sunken, which was probably because I hadn't slept in some time. I just… hadn't wanted to. Somehow sleep seemed dangerous. My skin was paler than usual, and I wondered if I had caught a cold from being in the rain too much. Even though I had removed my jacket, the clothes underneath were still damp. I straightened and walked back into my room, crossing it to reach the wardrobe.

I opened it to find that it was full of the same outfit repeated six times. _What the -? _I pulled a coat hanger out and inspected its load. A long sleeved shirt, pitch coloured. Simple black pants that reminded me of medical scrubs. A thick leather belt, also black with a silver belt buckle. The Hogwarts Crest. The belt displayed several slips and knots, so many that it looked difficult to garb. What looked like a pair of short gloves, padded and somehow, thin, spiralled with a narrow leather cord. I noticed a pair of sturdy black boots at the bottom of the cupboard, which looked like they could last for a decade without weakening.

_No way, _I thought shaking my head. _Is this… armour?_

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Dumbledore stepped up to the platform and spoke. His voice boomed around the Great Hall, so that it was impossible for everyone not to hear. "Welcome, former students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I blinked at his description. _Former students. _But he was right. There wasn't going to be any more lessons, or teachers, not even uniforms. _We're not at school any more. We're at Headquarters._

"I assume that by now you have all discovered the clothing in your dormitories. That is your protective gear. The material has been enhanced by magic to ward off most spells. You will be required to wear them during battle and training."

I could see that it was hurting him to say these words. _I don't think Dumbledore ever wanted it to come to this. _But what choice did he have?Because of the DA, most of the student body had demanded that they fight. The Order hadn't agreed. _They wanted the children to be safe_.I looked around at the rows of people. Kids. Most of us were from fifteen to seventeen years of age, but there were some that looked young enough to be in their first year._ But, we wouldn't listen. _The way most reasoned, it was either fight for your freedom, or die for your safety. With nowhere to run, Hogwarts ironically enough was probably the safest place to be at the moment. My gaze continued to flit around the faces in the hall. Parents. Families. Order members. Plenty of adults. Wizards and witches form all backgrounds and shapes and sizes had come from every corner of Britain and decided to fight.

"Protective enchantments have been placed around the grounds. However, it is not certain that they will hold forever. In the event of a breach of security, the clock tower bell will toll four times. If that happens…" Everyone's eyes were glued to Dumbledore as he took a deep breath. "If that happens then it is your duty, to protect yourself and the others around you."

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, for we had translated what Dumbledore had really meant. '_When that occurs, do all you can.' _For some of us, that just wasn't enough.

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Draco

The security was so easy to breach it was almost laughable. Blaise entered into view first, to check if anyone was in sight. He gave us a clear nod and we followed, wands drawn.

The Ministry was deathly hollow and dark. We blended in to the night's shadow perfectly. Moving as one, we avoided the light and made our way along the main entrance. The Lord was correct. When the war had gone public, most people had left their jobs and gone to cower in their homes. This was going to be too easy.

The four of us moved as quickly and silently as spiders, except for Reeah's astonishingly loud intake and outtake of oxygen. But it didn't really matter. She wasn't going to give us away if there was no one here to listen.

We paused as the elevators came into sight. There was a pleasant clinking sound as the one in front of us opened, and we walked in. Blaise was jammed into a corner, his muscular frame making it difficult for him to move. Reeah, being slender and of slight height, reached up to his shoulder as she leaned next to him, allowing Pansy and I plenty of space. "Which floor?" I hissed.

Pansy spoke up instantly. "Eight. At least, that's where the office was when my mother and I visited him last year."

I hastily jabbed the button with the handle of my wand and waited for the familiar soothing tone of the elevator's voice. "_Level Eight. Department of Importance and Regulations."_

"Bingo," Reeah muttered from behind me.

"What?" Blaise said, as we began to zoom backwards into the depths of the establishment.

Reeah replied, her tone very matter-of-factly. "Bingo. As in; _that's correct_."

Blaise laughed and I felt him shake his head. "Where did you hear that one from?"

Reeah took a slight breath to answer, before stopping. When she spoke her voice sounded small and distant. "It's– just something _stupid_ my sister used to say."

No one spoke any further as we zoomed upwards and suddenly came to a halt. "_Level Eight. Department of Importance and Regulations." _We exited, our footsteps lightly and quietly brushing against the tiled floor. Pansy took the lead and navigated through the winding corridors. We were plainly visible now, thanks to the candlelight ricocheting off the polished walls and floors. But it didn't matter. The Lord had explained that we would only have to battle a limited number of wizards that were protecting the Minister. _How foolish of them. _Surely someone who was so important should be guarded by an impenetrable force? Like in those old stories; where royalty is hidden deep within a castle guarded by a dragon.

Finally, we came to a thick oak door with an overly large gold doorknob in the centre. I looked over at Pansy, and she nodded, her thick black bob cut bouncing. We all raised our wands to point at the door handle and chanted in synchrony. _"Bombarda Maxima."_

The door exploded with an ear splitting crash and was thrown into the room, sending the first wizard who came near through the window and falling to his death into the chamber below. We merged inwards as a team, annihilating another wizard as he approached. There were four of them left in the room now. A dark skinned witch to our left. To our right, two wizards, so alike they could only be brothers. And then, seated at his desk, watching the scene with an expression of fear and panic was the Minister for Magic himself.

Rufus Scrimgeour.

Wordlessly, Reeah disposed of the witch to our left. The brothers raised their wands and fired a hex at Pansy, but she'd already deflected it back to them. Their limbs shortened slowly as they screamed in agony, until finally dropping off. Almost instantly, they both died of blood loss. Blaise dashed forward and grabbed the throat of the Minister, pushing it back and pressing his wand into Scrimgeour's neck. He groaned in frustration and shock, but I shot a stunning jinx at his chest that winded him so he gasped for air. "You… _scum!"_ The Minister spat once he could breathe again.

Blaise spoke naturally and clearly. "Permission to pummel, sire?"

"Granted." I responded with a nod.

The Minister thrashed in protest and Blaise thumped his hardened fist against his chest, possibly breaking a few ribs. There was a smash as Pansy threw a vase to the floor so that the red porcelain scattered across the stone like bloodstains. She was trashing the entire office, and was obviously enjoying it. Reeah was standing by the window, inspecting the shattered glass and peering through the hole to look down at the corpse of the unlucky wizard. The candlelight glinted off her raven hair, making it appear a deep purple.

I raised a hand as a signal for Blaise to cease attacking, and he did, automatically. I smirked. I was correct in my selections for this mission. Unlike Crabbe and Goyle, Zabini obeyed my commands, and knew how many punches a human body could take. Pansy possessed the rare gift of a photographic memory, and had a clear map of every place she had been to in her head. She was also a ruthless and unmerciful fighter. Plus, she was unfalteringly loyal to me. Reeah was a concern, though. Although she had sworn to fight by my side, I had doubts every now and then. But it was true that she was good at what she did. Not only was she almost unbeatable in one on one combat, she had a particular aptitude for potioneering; a talent which couldn't be ignored. And all of them, of course, where members of my Inner Circle. I stepped forward so that the Minister could talk to me directly. "Care to complain further?"

"You- Voldemort sent you here didn't he?!"

I didn't need to direct Blaise. He raised a hand and struck Scrimgeour across the face. "You shall not speak his name!"

The Minister slumped, Blaise's wand still at his throat. He didn't move from his chair as he looked up at me once more. "Are you going to kill me, boy?"

I stiffened at his query. The Lord had sent us here especially for this mission. He thought it would be a lark that the Minister would be assassinated by teenagers. A profound attack at the crumbling pride of the enemy. _So, why am I hesitating? _Hastily,I spoke again. "The Lord asks that you deliver your last words."

The Minister's eyes narrowed. "Fine then. Might as well. Tell your master this, _boy._ He can throw all of his dogs at us. Even his wee little pups. But the result has already been written. We all know how this ends," he took his last breath. "He will lose."

I flicked my hand at Blaise and he muttered the curse. Only the tip of his wand flashed green into the Minister's neck before he died. Blaise dropped the body onto the desk and straightened.

Pansy pranced around the desk and stared at the corpse. "Hmm… he's a bit dull isn't he?" she teased, before laughing and strolling out of the room. Reeah stared at the motionless figure of Scrimgeour before accepting her fiancé's hand and being led out. I waited until they were out of sight to release a brief shudder of panic before spinning on my heel and not looking back.

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Ryuu

! MINISTER FOR MAGIC RUFUS SCRIMGEOUR MURDERED !

The body of our former Minister was discovered in his own office at the Ministry just last night. The Minister and his four most skilled Aurors were meeting in secret to acquire any remaining records on wizards and witches throughout Britain in order to gain Intelligence on the current population. Although sources may not be accurate; it is believed to be the work of Death Eaters. Citizens of the wizarding world agree that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would have taken this action to undermine the Ministry's authority and proclaim himself as the ruler of Wizarding Britain.

But is this the only possibility?

It is well known that centaurs are not altogether satisfied with the Ministry's current arrangement of cutting back their territory. This action was made last year by the (at the time) High Inquisitor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dolores Jane Umbridge; who proclaimed:

"The centaur infestation surrounding Hogwarts School is astoundingly dangerous to the welfare of the students, and therefore cannot be tolerated. Especially not for Ministry classified _beasts,_ this should be controlled by a stern hand."

A few months after this proclamation, Ms. Umbridge disappeared for reasons that have still not been clarified. Since this incident, she has not returned to wizarding society.

So there is a chance that the centaurs themselves have deemed their diminishing territory unsuitable and taken action against the Minister. Readers will remember (from issue #27 on page 15: _"Centaurs: all you need to know so they know that you know."_) that centaurs are strong, independent and extremely territorial creatures, and if their habitat is threatened; they will likely lash out at anyone responsible –

My reading was interrupted by a slick drone. "I can't believe you actually subscribed to _The_ _Quibbler."_

I lowered the magazine; about to protest, before my mouth widened in a smile. "Zach!" I threw my arms around him, in a tight embrace and laughed.

His slick voice whispered in my ear. "Please Ryuu; if you're going to be doing this, I require that you remove at least one item of clothing first."

"Oh, stop it will you?!" I pestered, but as I released him, he was grinning. "What are you doing here? I thought that your Dad-"

"Screw him." he muttered. "He doesn't get it. I _want_ to do this." He lifted his head and searched the room. "Is Dennis around?"

I smirked. "He went with Luna to Ravenclaw tower. She forgot her wand."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "She forgot to bring her wand to training?" he scoffed. "What a loon…"

I nudged him lightly. "You should really learn to stop paying out your friends."

He looked at me in disbelief, chortling. "And what about _you?"_

I slipped _The Quibbler_ into my bag. "Don't test me, _Hufflepuff."_

"Bring it on, _Slytherin."_

I rolled my eyes before regarding him seriously. "But really, Zach. What's wrong?" Something about him was off, I could see it. At my question, his features stilled and he looked like he was about to shrug it off before Luna's airy voice cut the tension as smoothly as a butterknife.

"Why hello there, Zacharias Smith."

We swung around to face them. It was strange to see Luna in such dark clothing, but we were all required to wear training gear. As expected, she was still proudly accessorising with her length of turquoise beads, a cork clasped at the bottom. _To keep away the nargles, _I reminded myself. I took a moment to see what earrings she was wearing today. They were two impossibly small bottles filled with what looked like moss green sand. I questioned them. "Oh," Luna responded, her mirror-like eyes flicking sideways to try and see them, "it's fairy dust actually. I've been collecting it you see. It smells divine."

"Of course it does." Zach groaned, before noticing Dennis standing awkwardly behind Luna. Dennis had grown considerably. I imagined that if he stood up straight, his head would reach to just past Zach's shoulder. I wondered to myself why I hadn't noticed this before. It was probably just because I always imagined Dennis as being twelve years old. His once golden hair had darkened to a light brown now, but it was nowhere as deep as his almond coloured eyes. They stood out on his fair skin like two currents, and large ones at that. Although they appeared endless and dark, for some reason this seemed to extenuate his innocence.

"Zach?" he asked. "Are you okay?" I was shocked at how much more confident he sounded. His voice was still soft and meek, but he hadn't hesitated at all in his speech when usually he'd be tripping over his words, constantly doubting himself. _Yes. The DA had been good for him._

Zach was staring at Luna and Dennis as if he was seeing them for the first time. He blinked, and came to his senses. His stare swept over Luna, pausing momentarily on her wide eyes before looking at the ground. "Of course. I just noticed that your shoes were on the wrong feet."

Dennis started, and looked down. But Zach had been lying. "No, they're… fine." Dennis replied, shuffling his boots along the floor and casting Zach a lingering stare.

"Aha! Yes. Yes they are." Zach practically shouted, much to our shock. He noticed our startled faces and backed away hurriedly. "I- hit my head before. Maybe I… _died_ or something." He turned away, clutching his scalp, and power walked towards the other side of the Great Hall.

Dennis and Luna looked at me with quizzical expressions. "What?" I lifted my hands in a sign of innocence. "_I_ didn't club him over the head." Luna raised an eyebrow, and I sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to him." I muttered before strolling across the room. My path was blocked however, by two familiar faces.

"Ryuu." Harry smiled. "Are you- okay?" He was tucking his wand into a loop in his belt.

I frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Ron spoke up. "Well, about your parents… because, _you know."_

I stared at both of them directly in the eye and replied sincerely. "I'm fine." When they nodded awkwardly, I pointed towards the front of the Hall. "Hermione's up there with Ginny. I just have to talk to someone right now."

"Oh; right," Harry nodded so that his glasses slid down the frame of his nose slightly.

Feeling that this moment could seep outwards in prolonged unnecessary silence, I nodded my goodbye and wandered past them slowly. _Well, that was awkward. _I thought to myself. _Hermione must have been pretty upset if they were asking me about that. _I was just approaching Zach at the window before the massive doors to the Great Hall closed theatrically.

I looked up to the pedestal at the front of the Hall to see the crow-like stance of Professor Snape. His hands were folded neatly in front of him. Professor McGonagall stood by his side, silent and still, eyeing the audience. Snape announced his messages in his normal manner, not allowing his voice to go any louder, so those who couldn't hear were at fault. "Now that I have performed the _rueful_ task of capturing your… _unreliable_ attention, let us begin."

Sheepishly, I moved forward as all the other students did, in a jumbled muddle at the base of the podium. There weren't nearly as many people as there usually would be attending Hogwarts. It was odd to not see us all divided into four tables, but simply clumped together. Like the houses didn't matter anymore; we all represented Hogwarts.

Snape dramatically flipped his wand from his cape. "It is assured that the Death Eaters will be practised in the Dark Arts. This instantly puts you at a disadvantage because of your… _limited_ knowledge."

"But, sir!" I heard Hermione's voice interject from the crowd. "Those who were in Dumbledore's Army already know a great deal of-"

Snape flicked his attention towards the speaker and glared at her like he had found her on the bottom of his shoe. "_Miss… Granger._ I see that even when our country is in the beginnings of war, you still _persist_ in interrupting."

There was no reply from the crowd, and I saw Hermione back down, looking slightly stricken. McGonagall leaned closer to Snape, speaking lowly. "Severus. Perhaps it is wise to know who took part in these private classes."

Snape sneered at her description of the DA. "Minerva, I wouldn't call them private classes. If you ask me this 'Dumbledore's Army' was more of an illegal cult-"

"-But of course y_ou_ would know all about illegal cults_."_ McGonagall interrupted tartly before stepping forwards, ignoring the livid creases that had folded across Snape's pallid face. "Please, raise your hand if you were a member of Dumbledore's Army."

A majority of the audience raised their hand in the air. Snape looked each individual in the eye as they did. When his gaze rested on me, it didn't change but remained there for a few more seconds. I raised an eyebrow, but his face remained unaltered. McGonagall counted the number of hands and jotted it down on a scroll of parchment that she returned to her deep pocket.

"As I was saying before my… untimely interruption," Snape's cavernous stare fell to the place where I guessed Hermione was standing. "Compared to that of the Death Eaters, your experience in wizarding combat is not as _extensive._ You must understand. The Dark Lord fights to _kill; _and you should all learn to reciprocate-"

McGonagall instantly silenced him by pushing him back behind her. A shocked silence filled the room like a scream as she frantically whispered scolds to him before raising her voice. "Everyone, please group into your houses, so we can mark your name." She retrieved the scroll again. "Slytherin out the front, followed by Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor at the back." Being the only Slytherin present, I calmly walked to stand alone in front of the podium and overheard Snape's and McGonagall's hushed tones.

"Severus, have you lost your senses! They are children, not mercenaries!"

Snape sneered unpleasantly. "Children they may be; it was their choice to be here." McGonagall's lips had never looked thinner, but Snape continued. "I was merely stating the truth. If they so much as hesitate when the time comes-"

McGonagall straightened to her full height."There is _no _excuse to strike fear in their hearts."

There was a brief silence before McGonagall turned to see me staring at them and hastily pulled her quill out to scribble my name on the parchment. Snape hissed to the back of her neck. "You _can't_ protect them, Minerva."

As I continued to stare, McGonagall avoided eye contact with me as she moved along the line of students.

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Draco

His eyes had only been staring at me. But I hadn't helped him. He'd acted brave, but I knew that deep down he would have been scared. Anyone would. But I gave the order. I killed him. No matter which way I looked at it, there was no denying the fact that a man was dead because of me.

I twisted the knife through my fingers, practicing and focusing on how it moved. I had thought that it would be more jagged and heavy in its gestures, but it was lighter than any weapon I'd ever held. Concentrating, I balanced the blade on my knuckles and observed idly as it rolled down to my fingertips and I pivoted it to grasp the handle. Practise made perfect, and I didn't need to practise anymore.

It had been Aunty Bellatrix's idea to use knives. They were welded by magic. Lightweight and thin, they were excellent throwing knives. As long as you aimed directly at the target, the blade wouldn't miss; even if something got in the way.

Aunty Bellatrix entered my room without knocking and kicked Tibbli out of the way. The elf scrambled to retrieve her cleaning implements as I sat up on my bed. "Lazing, Draco? This isn't like you…"

I stood. "It was a long night."

She applied that sadistic grin that always hung on her lips. "Downstairs." She then turned and paced out of the room with a swish of robes.

I spared a glance at the elf. Her right eye was half closed and swelling from the hit. Noticing my stare she froze. "Was there anything you needed, M-Master?" her voice wavered. I didn't reply, and left her standing there waiting. Aunty Bellatrix was already galloping down the stair case and into the Ballroom. I followed, drawing my wand as I entered the large empty space.

There was never a formal introduction to my lessons. I jumped to the side as she silently fired blue sparks at me, which left a scorch mark on the wall I had been standing in front of. My mind pulsed from focusing on the spells before attacking. But no matter how many curses I fired at her, she simply deflected them and threw me back. _She's too quick. I can't catch her by surprise even when I'm using non-verbal spells. _I needed to do something severely unexpected to catch her off guard.

I cast a hex on the chandelier above us so that the chain slipped and it plummeted to the floor. Aunty Bellatrix watched in astonishment and I quickly disarmed her as the chandelier made contact. The crystal shattered and the metal clanged dangerously loud. For the first time in weeks Malfoy Manor echoed a vibrant sound.

Aunty Bellatrix paused for a moment, before she looked at me and cackled. "Well done, Draco." I nodded and silently fixed the decoration, levitating it up back to the roof once more. "You have improved immensely from your original techniques. You might even have a flair for destruction, just like your good old Aunt!"

_Yes, but that got you locked up in Azkaban, _I thought to myself, with surprise at my own sub-conscience as she retrieved her wand from the floor.

"But you will need to act faster than that," she continued as she smiled chaotically. "Because if we had really been fighting, I would have killed you six times before you thought of that little trick."

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Ryuu

Watching my competitor being knocked to the ground by my counter-attack was almost a boring sight for me now. Almost."I win." I announced casually, passing my wand to my other hand and flexing my fingers. The girl flushed. She had put up a good fight. At one point, I had been thrown backwards, but, unlike her, I hadn't fallen down.

Dean Thomas stepped into view and raised his wand. He instantly tried to disarm me, but I dodged his spell. I shot a stunning jinx at his chest, but it rebounded off his quickly drawn shield. "_Petrificus Totalus!" _I yelled.

"_Stupefy!"_

Our spells hit each other and blasted off like fireworks. Sparks of blue and gold floated down towards the ground like autumn leaves. _He always uses a direct approach. Either to defend himself or attack. _It was clear what I had to do; it isn't very chivalrous, but I never was one for fighting fairly.

Searching my mind, I remembered a hex that I had read about that originated from the native wizards of Australia. _"Incurvum Bacillum."_ I said, and watched in fascination. I'd never used this spell before but I'd read the diagram and description of the outcome in _The Wizard's Scrapbook For Rare And Uncommonly Used Spells._

A brown crescent shaped light sprouted from the tip of my wand and spun through the air past Dean's head. He looked at it in puzzlement, but when it left his vision, he grinned. "Missed me!"

But I hadn't. The light arced around the room, still turning and performed a direct hit in the back of Dean's head. It was so strong, that he fell forwards, toppling to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

I straightened and took a breath. "I win."

"Impressive… Miss Veil."Surprised, I spun around to look Snape in the eye. He didn't appear the least bit impressed. In fact, his brow was lowered as if he was angry with me.

My jaw clenched in defiance. "Professor." It wasn't a question and this seemed to confuse him. He flicked a quill out from his sleeve and wrote something upon the parchment. He and McGonagall were wandering around the Hall observing our techniques. Apparently they were going to place us in teams best suited for our level of ability and our individual fighting style. I was interested to see who I'd be put with. A fleeting thought flashed through my head for what Professor Snape was writing about me."Professor." I repeated, demanding complete attention from him.

His gaze flickered to mine. "You've said that _twice_ already Miss Veil and I am yet to receive anything else from you."

My voice was crisp. "Are you displeased Professor? With the state of your house?" He didn't move. After a few seconds I assumed he wasn't going to answer, but instantly reminded myself that he would _want_ me to think that, purely to spite me. At last he responded.

"If you are referring to the fact that a large proportion of them have abandoned their will power and turned to the Dark Lord for consolation, then _no_, I am not proud of them." He hid the parchment from my sight. "It appears hypocrisy, in life, is unavoidable." He said the last bit in a duller tone, and as Snape walked away I wondered what he meant.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was learning. _

_She looked at the neatly printed letters on the top of the page. This was her goal. Mummy wanted her to learn how to write her name. But it was more difficult than the girl had predicted. She looked down at the markings she had made. All failed attempts. On that one, the line had slipped down the page because of her clumsy grip on the pencil. The letters in the top right corner were completely illegible, so much so that even the girl herself couldn't decipher what it said. The girl stared down at the page in anger. She was convinced she could do it. Daddy said she could do anything she wanted if she denied setbacks._

_The girl wasn't sure of what this meant yet._

_She placed the pencil on the table and stared at her mother's neat handwriting for a long time. The first letter of her name was tall, independent, and prominent. The rest followed the leader, like a strand of ducklings until the letter at the end finished with an artistic flick. The girl sighed._

"_What's wrong?" her mother asked as she entered the room with a steaming drink in her hand. _

"_I can't write my name."_

_Her mother took a sip from the cup. "Yes you can. I'd bet my life on it." she said with a thoughtful smile. _

_The girl gasped, her emerald eyes widening. "Don't say that Mummy! Because I can't! I can't write my name! And that means that-!"_

"_-But you _can_ do it." Her mother leant against the chair and looked down at her child's handiwork. "Hmm… okay, watch this."_

_She lightly placed the pencil in the blonde girl's hand and placed her own palm atop her daughter's. The difference in size captivated the child. While her fingers were short and rosy, her mothers were long and slender, her old wedding ring still gleaming slightly. The mother guided the girl's hand across the page, slowly imprinting the lines of her daughter's name. When she was finished, the girl opened her mouth in surprise and glee, staring down at the words._

"_Mummy! Look! It's my name!"_

_Her mother smiled, admiring her daughter's achievement. "Yes it is. Look at that - you saved my life."_

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A/N: There are two spells in this chapter of my own creation: first is the one Pansy uses at the Ministry on the siblings that makes their limbs shrink until they die from blood loss. Brutal right? Second is the 'Incurvum Bacillum' spell; which as some of you may have guessed is based on a boomerang. I just thought it was a cool idea. Is there any magic that isn't in the books that you wished was? It could be the most random thing ever – I'm just curious.


	25. Chapter 3 - Around The Tree

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Back again! A thank you to my Beta for all of her grudging support. A shout out to CeliaSingsSongs – thank you very much!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 3 – Around The Tree

Draco

Mother sat too straight. Her face was completely emotionless as she slowly tapped her wand on the armrest of the chair. She stared intently at the fireplace, her eyes never wavering from its glowing flames for a second. It had been three hours.

I stood in the corner of the room. Mother had refused that I attend this mission with my father. In her opinion, it was unnecessary. But I knew her real thought process. Taking over Gringotts would be a dangerous task and the Lord had only selected exemplary Death Eaters. I had been a consideration, but my mother had completely declined further talk of me. If father was already going out to risk his life, she wasn't going to let me do the same. She wouldn't be able to stand waiting helplessly for both of us to return. As I stared into her set face I though, _sometimes I think she fights the hardest battle of all. _

I retrieve the coloured box from my pocket and flick the squares to the left. Distracting myself had always relieved any tension, and the cube had a strange way of lulling me into a calm. _Blue. Green. White. _I still hadn't been able to determine why I couldn't solve this damn muggle puzzle. I hated that I was constantly beaten by something so normal, so frustratingly simple. If it was the last thing I did, I wanted to beat it. It was immensely frustrating that it had outwitted me. Because that was exactly what she'd done.

I stopped with a start, but my thoughts shattered when a Death Eater with a masked face stormed out of the fireplace with a body in his arms. I barely recognised my father. He was completely limp with his eyes closed and his jaw open. A large cut decorated his cheek and his cape appeared singed around the edges. I watched in horror as the Death Eater placed him on the ground at my mother's feet. _He's… dead._

My mother instantly fell to her knees and whipped several bottles from her sleeve. I'd never seen her act so urgently for anyone. As she began to pour several potions together, the Death Eater rambled out his story. "There were many. We made it through the entrance, even though a couple of goblins gave us some trouble. But then they released the dragon. It was huge! One of the biggest I've ever seen!"

My mother ignored the story and worked quickly and silently. I remembered when she had healed me from serious injuries as a child. Broken bones from flying, apparating accidents, even when I'd drunk poison in the belief that it was fire whiskey. But somehow, this was different. She didn't complain or demand more information from the Death Eater. Her hands moved like lightning, not hesitating for a second as she opened my father's eyelid and poured a trickle of red liquid onto the eyeball.

"He told us to retreat. Those who did were burnt in flames by its lethal breath. Bellatrix Lestrange worked on defeating the creature. Then, something happened. A goblin picked up a wand from the scorched hand of a fallen Death Eater and used magic. I don't know what he was trying to do, but it was disastrous. Goblin magic clearly doesn't work with wands. I didn't see anything except for a green flash and Lucius was… on the ground." The Death Eater turned towards me, and I assumed that his face under the mask was apologetic. A green light was never a good thing.

I steadily approached the scene and stared down at my father. The red remedy was streaming from underneath his closed eyelids and I felt sick with the thought of bleeding eyes. His grip was still fastened around his wand, so tightly that his knuckles had been stained white with strain. I realised with relief that he wasn't dead. His chest was moving ever so slightly, but I feared that it would stop at any moment. My mother laced her wand in spirals over his forehead, mumbling an ancient incantation. She stopped suddenly and waited; just like she always did.

A second passed before his eyes opened. He blinked to clear away the crimson potion and sat up wildly, pointing his wand in all directions. Wordlessly, my mother reached out to his wrist and pulled it downwards, so that it rested on the ground.

"You did it," The Death Eater said in amazement. "What did you do?"

My father seemed to understand the circumstances and released his wand. He met my mother's gaze with eyes of shock and confusion. "You… saved me… Narcissa…"

As graceful as always, she rose to stand tall. With a nod towards the unnamed Death Eater she turned her back and paced towards the door, elegant and silent. She left the room and I didn't hear from her for the rest of the evening. Because a lady never sheds a tear in the presence of a gentleman.

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Ryuu

"It is upsetting that there won't be any pudding from now on," Luna said. Even though she looked a little saddened by this it didn't affect the twinkling chime that had followed her voice for as long as I had known her. "But I suppose it's not that bad."

I looked down at my soup with mild appreciation. The amorphous of bread, fish and dried beans didn't look particularly appetising. I shoved a spoonful into my mouth and savoured the warmth of the broth. It wasn't the best taste in the world, but I was used to it by now. For weeks, we had received two meals a day and only the substantial food to keep us strong. Hogwarts had recently made some budget cuts because of the fall in money. Not only had the Death Eaters taken the Ministry, they had now destroyed Gringotts and stolen all the gold for themselves.

Ron groaned beside me. "I miss the taste of chicken."

Harry mumbled in agreement as Hermione shot him a look of poison. "The Death Eaters already have a huge advantage over us and all you two can think about is _food?"_

Ron made a face. "Not just _food,_ 'Mione. Food that's worth eating."

"Honestly…" Hermione scoffed as she tapped her fingernails on the wood of the table. The sound echoed annoyingly throughout the Great Hall. "Ryuu, can you believe them?"

I held up a finger as I swallowed the last spoonful of broth. "Pardon? I was just enjoying my food so much that-"

Hermione rolled up her copy of The Daily Prophet and slashed it through the air. It collided with my hand with a sharp bang that sounded similar to a gun being fired in the distance.

"-Hey! I was just joking!"

"Well, it's not funny. We have a serious issue on our heads!" The brown colour of her eyes appeared to be blazing. "What on earth are we supposed to do?" She finished, glancing around at all of us.

I threw her a glare as I thought. "They already have money. They already have power…" I narrowed my eyes and looked into the distance. "If we tried to take those back, it would get us nowhere. They're too strong. We need to attack their weaknesses." I nodded and flickered back to the people around me. Hermione was listening to me eagerly, but I was already out of words. "So, in conclusion… we should… do that."

It was a clumsy ending, but none of them seemed to mind. "But what are their weaknesses?" Harry asked from two seats down.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Since when did I become the idea person?"

Luna peered around me to stare at Harry with her bluebell eyes. "Everything has a fault. All you have to do is look hard enough. After a while you'll realise that it's really quite obvious, and you've wasted a lot of time, but by then at least you'll have the answer."

Ron swiped his orange hair out of his eyes and stared down at his plate with the face of a man who was trying to spot a piece of hay in a needle stack. After a few moments he shook his head. "Nope. I've got nothing."

Luna nodded in polite acceptance. "Oh, that's too bad. I always find that looking at the sky helps me to think."

Ron lifted his eyes to look through the roof of the Great Hall and onto the overcast sky beyond. His expression of determination returned as Hermione rolled her eyes. She muttered under her breath as she stood and stalked away. I slipped from my seat and ran after her. I was surprised at how easy this was. _The uniform must enhance my speed, _I thought to myself as I tapped her on the shoulder.

She spun around. We were both of similar stature, but her expression made me feel like I should stand taller. "Hermione. Don't worry. We'll think of something." I reassured her along with myself.

Her gaze lessened in intensity and she looked at the floor. "I know that, Ryuu. The problem is – will we think of it in time?"

I was about to answer when I felt the presence of people behind me. Harry's voice sounded refreshed. "We're going to the third floor to practise."

Hermione sighed and shook her head slightly, not out of refusal, but more to clear out the jumble of contradicting thoughts that dwelled there. "I'll come; I need something to distract me."

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I walked around Dennis, inspecting his position. "Hold your wand a little higher," I ordered and nodded as he obeyed. "That's better. Alright, ready… begin."

Instantly, Dennis knocked his opponent from their feet to have them crash to the floor in a mound of tangled limbs and moaning retorts. He gasped in shock and rushed to assist Ernie up again. "Oh! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Ernie's boot poked out and fiercely thudded against Dennis's calf. He let out a startled cry mingled with pain, before staggering backwards. Ernie then leaped to his feet, so gracefully that for a moment I marvelled. Dennis stood flattened against the wall, looking down at Ernie's wand that was pressed into his throat with shock. Feeling exhausted, I sighed. _Not again. _"Alright, duel over."

Ernie backed away, tucking his wand into his pocket. He shook hands with Dennis before looking around for a harder competitor. Dennis slowly advanced towards me, looking like a puppy who knew that he'd done something wrong. I placed my hands on my hips. "Come on Den, what have I told you about that?"

Her tapped the tip of his wand with his index finger and met my stern gaze guiltily. "I couldn't help it." The movement of his fingers increased as his nervousness did. I placed my palm over them.

"Den, you're not hurting them. And, even if you were, they'd go straight to the Hospital Wing." I looked into his deep eyes. They looked especially maroon today. "But, no matter what, you cannot go to their aid."

He twisted his lip. "Why not?"

"Because!" I snapped before making my tone soothing again. "Because, you have to imagine – just for the moment – that you are battling a Death Eater. And, if you do that to a Death Eater…" my mind cringed at the images that flashed across it. "…you'll die, Den."

Neither of us spoke. He looked down at me and smiled sadly before removing my hand from his. "Okay. I'm ready for my next opponent."

I scanned the room. Everyone appeared busy, except for Ginny who was taking a break. She sat on the ground tying back her long flaming hair in a tight bun. "I'll go see if Ginny wants to fight you-"

"-No." Dennis said quickly and I stopped. I was still amazed at how simply he could speak now. "Thanks, but I'd really rather challenge you, Ryuu."

I stared at him as the feeling of awkwardness spread through my gut. I didn't want to beat Dennis. He was doing quite well, and I would've hated myself for crushing his spirit. _Then again, this will give him a chance to fight a harder opponent... he does need the practice. _Still vowing I'd go easy on him, I smiled. "Challenge accepted."

We parted until there was roughly ten feet between us. I raised my weapon in time with Dennis. He was still holding his wand too low. I felt an overprotective pang to assist him, but repressed it. As long as we were training, Dennis was a Death Eater. And I wasn't going to let him have an advantage, no matter how small.

"Okay, then." I yelled across to him. "One…two…"

Red sparks shot out from the end of Dennis's wand and sent me spirally across the room. I knocked painfully into Neville who shrieked as we hit the ground. My head throbbed and I raised my palm to comfort it. _It's always in the same place! _I thought in annoyance.

I quickly got to my feet, ignoring Neville's apologies. _"Stupefy!"_ I cried, but Dennis deflected it as easily as he would blink innocently. I scowled and began a tirade of spells in his direction. I had to dodge after I cast each one, because they all came hurtling back towards me in a fine array of fluorescent colours. Eventually, after a few minutes of tiresome manoeuvring, I was only a few feet away from him.

I breathed in to cast another spell, but Dennis beat me. He released his hold over his shield and yelled _"Expelliarmus!"_

My eyebrows soared dangerously close to my hairline in shock as I witnessed my wand flying through the air and landing behind me. I saw Harry look at me, flabbergasted and I heard Ron say: "Bloody hell!" But I really only reacted to the two words that poured quietly from Dennis's mouth.

"I win."

I felt my pride dwindle as I bent to retrieve my wand. _How did that happen?! How the hell did he beat me?! _And now, he was using my own words against me.My eyelid twitched. The room tickled with laughter as I approached Dennis, who was blushing. "That's not funny."

His mouth twisted sheepishly. "But,_ you_ say it all the time."

"That's different. That's only when _I_ win."

His face turned to one of slight worry. "Ryuu, don't be upset!"

I scoffed. "_What?!_ I am _not_ upset."

Dennis smiled. "It's fine to lose once and a while you know."

I shook my head indignantly. "No. No it is not."

He held out his hand. "Good game?" I looked at his long fingers and crossed my arms over my chest in an extremely childish manner. "No thank you." I said crossly.

"Oh come on Ryuu, it was just practise." His tone sounded much more self assured than I'd ever heard it. For some reason, this annoyed me a little. But I couldn't deny that I was being unreasonable. I held out my hand without looking him in the eye and cried out in surprise when he tugged me into a bear hug.

He clapped me on the back. "See, Ryuu? Losing isn't that bad."

I imagined that my face resembled a blunt line. "You mock me, Gryffindor."

He laughed and although I tried to control myself, it was annoyingly contagious. I soon found myself chortling with him as he released me. I then coughed to clear my throat and partly covered my grin with a grimace. "Great job, by the way."

I caught his flush of colour from the corner of my eye. "Thanks Ryuu."

It was at that moment that Hermione swung me around to face her. Her hands clenched painfully into my shoulders and I winced despite her excitement. "I found it!" she said gleefully. "Ryuu, I've found it!"

"That's great Hermione," I groaned. "But unless you've found the cupboard that leads to Narnia, I don't see what's exciting enough to crush me for."

She rolled her eyes as she lowered her hands. "Oh, ha-ha. And if you're talking about the Vanishing Cabinet, that's on the fifth floor. But, Ryuu, listen! I've figured it out!"

I massaged my left shoulder. "Figured what out?"

Hermione's otter-coloured eyes glinted. "What the Death Eaters can't live without."

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For a few moments nothing happened, and I dreaded that for the first time in seventeen years, Hermione was wrong. As soon as Hermione had explained her plan, we hadn't hesitated. We had instantly stopped practicing to test it out. It was at that moment that a clicking sound vibrated through my eardrums and the ugliest house elf I've ever seen appeared before me. There were several gasps of shock as the students watched in amazement. "Kreacher," Harry began sternly. "So you_ are_ loyal to me."

Kreacher turned to look at his audience. Ghostly white hair protruded from his waxy ears. He wore the dirty rags of slavery and his old eyes were a light blue. They practically spat hatred towards every living soul in the room as he replied in a creaking gravelly voice. "Kreacher is forever a servant for the house of Black. However… _unfortunate_ his master may be."

Harry didn't retaliate and continued as planned. "Do you know of another elf named Dobby?"

Kreacher snarled and approached Harry with startling speed. He appeared old and frail but evidently still had some strength in him. "Yes. Kreacher knows of Dobby. Regrettably, that is..."

Harry's bright green eyes lightened. "Can you find him and bring him to me?"

The elf looked at him as if Harry were asking for his soul. His eyes narrowed to the width of coin slots as he spoke. "Yes."

There was a silence in which no one moved. Harry looked at his servant in confusion before I realised what was wrong. It was obvious that the creature would only obey a direct command. "Will you go and get him?" I said to the elf in a clear voice.

His ears pricked up slightly as he noticed me. I felt like I should smile, but refrained it. There was something very sinister about him.

"Even we house elves do not speak to mudbloods like you."

"KREACHER!" Harry roared. "Go and find Dobby. Bring him here. That is all."

The elf snarled at his master before disappearing with a snap like a whip hitting concrete. Harry turned to me with remorseful eyes. "Ryuu, I'm so sorry-"

"-Don't worry about it." I cut in. I of all people was used to the word. It barely meant anything to me now.

Thirty minutes passed. Most of the people left to tell the Order and Dumbledore of what we were doing. The light through the windows dimmed into evening, and eventually it was only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dennis and I left. Luna had wanted to stay but had said that she needed to meet Zach outside the Hufflepuff Common Room. I had my suspicions as to why, but kept my mouth shut.

I zipped up my jacket as the temperature dropped. Across from me, Ron and Hermione were huddled underneath the light of a candle, talking in hushed tones. Dennis sat next to me, looking outside the windows at the moon. Harry was positioned in the middle; he stood, leaning against the wall, tapping his wand impatiently against his knuckles.

"Harry," I began, "can you even be sure that he'll come back?"

He turned his head towards my voice but kept his gaze on the ground where the elf had disappeared. "He has to. House elves have a binding contract with their masters."

I rolled my eyes and untied my shoelaces, only so I could tie them up again. I had always been prone to boredom, and as a child had been taught to distract myself with minor tasks. The cord slid through my fingers as I weaved it in between the eyelets to secure the boots to my thick socks. _The bunny has two ears… _I held them between my fingertips and then crossed them together. _And then you tie them in a knot…_

"What are you doing?" asked Harry with amusement.

"Teaching elephants to tap dance." I replied smoothly and with undeniable sarcasm.

"No, I mean. The rabbit is supposed to go around the tree." He said, indicating towards my shoelaces.

I raised an eyebrow. "No it's not. You tie its ears together, like this." I demonstrated and glanced at him smugly as a perfect bow formed atop my boot.

"No. That's not how you do it." Harry said in amazement.

"I don't know where this _'around the tree'_ nonsense came from, but my way is definitely the most efficient." I concluded.

Harry shook his head and walked over to me, kneeling down to attend to my shoe. He ignored my sound of derogatory amusement and proceeded to untie my shoelaces. He held up a singular loop and threaded the cord around it. "See. It goes around the tree. It's far more nicer than inhumanely knotting a bunny's ears together."

I pouted at the perfect bow that was created by his hands. "What do you think, Den?" I asked the boy sitting next to me.

Dennis blinked back to reality and inspected Harry's handiwork. "I don't know which way is better. My shoelaces always tied themselves." He said simply.

I sighed. "Magic. Takes the fun out of _everything."_

The two boys laughed and then stopped as a meek voice echoed from the other side of the room. _"Harry Potter."_

Harry stood and rushed to the elf. "Dobby! You're here!"

I lit my wand to see more clearly and felt like I was interrupting a private scene_. _Harry held the hand of a small bony elf in his own, stare intent on Dobby's smiling face. "How have you been Dobby?"

"So gracious of Harry Potter to ask." Dobby's smile widened. I couldn't help but melt at that adorable face, and then reminded myself that the elves I'd encountered so far were selective about their preferences. "Dobby has been exploring, sir. Just now he was wandering through the beautiful outback of Australia."

Hermione and I shared a glance. _Australia._ The faces of my parents seeped into my mind, and I hastily pushed them away. I couldn't dwell on that. Not now. _As long as you're awake, you can control your subconscious, _I reminded myself.

"Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you on your holidays." Harry said, and to my surprise, he sounded genuinely apologetic.

"Mr. Potter should not be worried about Dobby. There are much larger things at hand. Kreacher has told Dobby all about the war, and also he wanted me to tell Mr. Potter that he went straight back to the House of Black! Dobby is grateful that you need his help. But Dobby does not understand _why."_

"Well, we'd like to ask you something Dobby." Hermione interjected politely.

The elf looked up in surprise. "Miss Granger! Mr. Weasley! How nice to see you both again." He paused as he noticed Dennis and I. The elf looked extremely embarrassed that he didn't know our names and stumbled over his words a bit.

Dennis squatted so that he was eye-level with Dobby and held out his hand. "I'm Dennis. Dennis Creevy." he said with a pleasant smile. The elf nodded and shook his hand uncertainly, before looking up at me.

I kept my height and introduced myself. "Veil. Ryuu Veil." I was glad by the fact that my voice didn't sound too scary. The elf was so _small_; it was almost like talking to a child.

"And what is it that Dobby must do?" The elf's moss green eyes were huge and innocent.

Harry cleared his throat and knelt down next to the house-elf. "You used to work for the Malfoys, didn't you Dobby?"

_Malfoy. _

I turned my face into the shadows so that I could squeeze my eyes shut. _What's wrong with me? _It had always been easy to hide my face behind a mask of impassiveness. So why did one little word force me to act like this? I blinked a few times before returning back to the scene around me. Only to notice that Hermione's eyes were locked with mine. Hurriedly, I returned my attention to Harry and the elf. "Yes, Dobby did," Dobby replied in a squeaky voice.

"While you were in their service, did you ever visit any other families?" Harry asked carefully.

The elf nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, Dobby used to have to take Master Lucius to his friend's houses when he was younger. The Noseworthys, the Parkinsons, the Zabinis, the Crabbes…"

"Good," Harry nodded, "Dobby, do you think that you'd be able to go to those houses and free the elves that live there?"

The elf stood there, agape. "Free them? But, Dobby cannot do that. Only an elf's master can free them, by presenting them with clothing."

"Actually Dobby, you can do something." Hermione beamed. She was obviously very proud with the cleverness of her scheme. "What you said is true, but elves can also be released from the confines of slavery by an elf that has no master. But, to do this, they would have to be delivered directly to a new master. The elves must then swear loyalty to this witch or wizard, and they no longer serve their previous family."

Dobby grinned. "This is, Miss Granger, you found this out didn't you?! You always were very clever, Hermione Granger. Yes, Dobby will do it! But – Dobby must know. Why?"

"Because," Hermione began, face set, "it's about time that house elves have a chance to fight back."

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Draco

"My Lord."

The Dark Lord lifted his fingernail from the scales of his serpent and fixed his dead gaze onto Yaxley. "Yes?"

"There is no more food to feed your ranks, My Lord." There was a slight tremble in his voice.

The Dark Lord rose from his throne alarmingly fast, and I retreated into the shadows. "What?!" The Dark Lord stepped lightly towards the kneeling figure and stared down at him. "How could this have happened, Yaxley?"

The entire situation screamed danger, and I didn't want to be a victim. I was thankful that mother wasn't in the room. Ever since the claim of Gringotts, she'd been stocking up on potions and remedies. She was probably in the Apothecary now.

Yaxley swallowed anxiously. "Well… the elves are g-gone My Lord."

The Lord stopped walking and his silken robe shifted to catch up with his change of stride. He slowly turned and looked down at Yaxley with a look that I couldn't decipher, and didn't want to. "How did the elves leave?" The sentence was deliberately slow.

"Another elf took them away, My Lord. He did it to all of the houses. He said he was working for Potter, My Lor-" A deafening yell that could only be ignited from a man in complete agony coursed through my ears as The Dark Lord twisted his wand against Yaxley's temple. The Lord released the spell and Yaxley slumped against the floor, weak and whimpering.

Parsletongue floated around the room from the lips of The Dark Lord and his snake. Nagini slithered around his feet, a sight that caused me to shudder. Finally she ceased her endless cycle and moved towards Yaxley. The Dark Lord's high, cold voice stabbed the heavy silence. "Nagini has told me that it is truly awful that there is no food, seeing as she is famished."

Yaxley looked at the snake in terror. "My Lord, I-"

Even though I attempted to turn away from the scene before it happened, the snake was too quick. It sliced through the air as easily as it did to Yaxley's throat. Crimson blood flung from the places where Nagini's fangs drilled into the man's flesh. Yaxley didn't scream, in fact, the feasting was almost silent except for the sound of my own frantic heartbeat drumming in my ears. There were gurgles of horror from the figure, but he didn't fight back as the serpent coiled her body around the Death Eater, and unhinged her jaw.

I closed my eyes, yet somehow this made it worse.

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Ryuu

The green and silver snake lay limply across my palm. I didn't know why I was looking upon my Slytherin tie with such sadness. I couldn't explain how I had hesitated while dressing, because it had caught my eye at the back of my wardrobe. It was simply a necktie. A part of my old uniform. Nothing more.

The fabric soothed my skin as I laced it in between my fingers. _So why am I so fascinated with it?_ It had never bothered me before. In fact, at times I had felt uncomfortable wearing it, especially when I was in a small room. My mind would instantly tell me that the tie was constricting around my throat, blocking my airway, withholding my breath. I shivered.

Dusk nudged my shoulder with his head and I glanced down at him. His honey coloured eyes seemed to be saying: "_Strange being. You've been sitting here for five minutes staring blankly at a necktie." _I pouted at him. "Fine. Have it your way."

I dropped the tie onto the satin quilt of my bed and slid my shirt over my head. As I buckled my belt around my hips, I glanced at the tie again, realising why my mind had grabbed at it unexpectedly. It was the only thing in the entire school that classified me as a Slytherin.

I was the only Slytherin student left in the castle, there was no longer an organised seating at The Great Hall, my robes had been replaced with training gear – all remnants of my former house were gone. _My former pride. _"Huh…" I thought aloud. Was I proud of my house – of the way its occupants had treated me over the years? Certainly not. _But the actions of a few doesn't reciprocate the majority, surely?_

_I am a Slytherin, _I reminded myself. And of course I was. Being the last one made it all the more obvious; especially now I was spending more time around Gryffindors – I simply wasn't like them. My opinions were different and my actions foreign to how they handled things. My stare bored into the tie on my quilt. _Know thyself, _that's what they all say. And although I had a pretty good idea, it was near impossible to express it in words, or even to create a tangible thought. _Easier done than said. _But a part of me knew, perhaps subconsciously, that in this impossible unbalanced world I'd found myself in, nothing was certain – and nothing was forever. And to survive, I needed an ounce of certainty – sanity – and that, I knew, came with knowing myself and what I was capable of. Perhaps it was the only thing I could know.

Without another second of hesitation I fastened the tie around my neck. I had just tightened it when I stopped. _Probably not a good idea to have something around my neck if I'm fighting,_ I thought, as a mental picture of a Death Eater strangling me with the green and silver tie flashed through my head. I forced the tie over my head and instead looped it around my waist. Momentarily, I admired my handiwork before exiting my chambers and heading for the Great Hall.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was walking._

_The father grinned as she took another step, all on her own. The girl's small hand was clasped tightly in his as she unsteadily lifted her right foot. _

"_That's it… one foot at a time," the father whispered. He wasn't certain if the toddler understood what he was saying, but somehow the message got through, because the little girl managed to land her foot carefully on the floor. He marvelled at the cleverness of his child's developing brain. "Perfect," he said. "And again, come on. You can do it." _

_The little hand tightened in his as she did it again. The huge green eyes looked up at him, and he smiled. "Well, look at that! Before you know it, you'll be running..." he said jokingly._

_The girl did something then that made the father stiffen in shock. She smiled. She smiled a beautifully gorgeous smile. There were elements of smugness to the corners of her mouth, and pride that turned the upper lip. But mainly, it was a smile of happiness._

_The father stared incredulous at his tiny daughter. "You… you understood me?"_

_The girl looked at him with quizzical eyes and lowered her chin slightly._

_The father interpreted this as a nod and laughed. "Oh, you freakish child! You marvellous girl! You can really understand what I'm saying can't you?!" _

_The girl smiled again and tilted her head to the side. Her hair was still short, but it gleamed in the sunlight. The father spoke again, clearly and slowly. "Let's try it again. One last time."_

_He could've sworn that she rolled her eyes in annoyance, but he then blamed his drowsiness as she returned her focus to lifting her left foot. The step was quicker than the others had been and she even managed to rise her other foot directly afterwards. Before the father could react, the girl was waddling away, and rather quickly too. He observed and made a risky snap decision. As lightly as was humanly possible, he released his hold on his daughter's hand and held in a breath as she continued to walk away, leaving the father forgotten behind her. She was walking; already._

_All on her own._

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A/N: Poor Draco. I don't think it was ever fully appreciated in the books that Lord Voldemort lived in Malfoy Manor for a time. Imagine how terrifying that would be! To have the most powerful and insane dark wizard living under the same roof as you, watching you constantly. Personally, I'd never sleep.


	26. Chapter 4 - Cats

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Interesting times ahead… If you have any questions, concerns or quirky comments please feel free to message me, I'm willing to answer anything (obviously without spoiling plot information.) Oh, and I hope you've been keeping an eye on that wily Reeah. ;)

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 4 – Cats

Draco

The candles struggled to maintain their flames as the Lord entered. Almost like a Dementor, a chill frosted over the room, and all tongues were quietened. He sat down at the head of the table, sparing a moment to stare at everyone individually. When he reached me, I averted my gaze downwards, focusing on his snake. My spine shuddered when I noticed that there was dried blood coating her mouth.

"My valued Death Eaters. Do know that you are at the top of the ranks? My Commanders."

It was true. My father, Aunty Bellatrix, Gregory Goyle Senior and I were seated on the left side of the table. On the opposite end were several other people that I'd either never met, or hadn't bothered to remember.

"As you are all aware, we are in dire need of food… however none of you have suggested any means of obtaining some." He glared at my father for a long time, before returning his milky eyes to the wall.

Promptly, my Aunt spoke up, leaning forward in her chair. "My Lord – I have a suggestion."

The Dark Lord smiled; a horrifying sight. Only the corners of his mouth pricked upwards grotesquely, the rest of it remained unnaturally still; only displaying the bare minimum of his jagged teeth. "Go on, Bellatrix. I was certain _you_ would have an idea."

My Aunt unsuccessfully tried to hide her delight as she continued in a high voice. "Our elves were _stolen,_ My Lord. Therefore, we should _retrieve_ them from the thieves. Take back what is ours with all of the force we can muster."

There was a pause in which the Lord considered her plan. He then turned his head to the side to speak with Nagini. My eyes flickered away to rest on my hands. As the days progressed, it was becoming less bearable for me to be in the presence of that snake. My fingers were shaking uncontrollably and I shoved them beneath the table, praying that no one had noticed.

"Excellent, Bellatrix. You indeed share a similar bloodlust to myself. But no, I do not wish to bring the elves back. They cannot be trusted." He tenderly stroked Nagini's head. "No, I have much better plans for _that_… but, for now, your scheme will be used."

Aunty Bellatrix gasped. "Oh, thank you My Lord! It is a true honour!"

The Lord ignored her compliment and stood to address the entire room. "It is decided. Tonight we shall take back what is our right. We will give Hogwarts a little _taste _of what it means to cross Lord Voldemort."

There were several murmurs of laughter around the room as the occupants exited. Since I was positioned at the far end of the table, I lingered at the back of the crowd as they approached the door, shifting from one foot to the other, keeping my gaze planted on the timber doorframe.

"Something bothering you, Draco?" I froze. The Lord had addressed me by my first name. Somehow it was like an obstruction of privacy. I hoped that he wouldn't do it again.

I half turned so that he could see my profile. "No, My Lord." The sucking sound of the snake's tongue whipping outwards from between her jaws reached my ears and I repressed a shiver.

The Lord glided over until he was inches away from my ear. His eyes bored into me, analysing every movement I made. "Are you frightened?"

I balled my hands into fists to withhold their twitching as I turned my head to look directly at him. "No…" He stiffened and I quickly realised my fatal mistake. "…My Lord." I finished carefully, making it sound like I had added in a considerate pause. The smile flashed on his lips again and he waved his hand towards the door.

"By your leave… _Draco_."

Every muscle in my being was screaming at me to run, but I managed to control them into a steady pace as I nodded and walked out the doorway.

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Ryuu

"I, Gabbly, sware my allegiance to one Harry Potter. On the name of all elves – until he wishes to release me or until death takes me."

Dobby nodded. "Great job! Next, please."

A surprisingly tall elf stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice. Harry smiled, but I could tell he was immensely uncomfortable. I could sympathise with that. These elves were promising their lives in his name. He had argued with Hermione when she had explained this, but there was no use swaying her logic. "Besides," she had said, "it's not like the elves would be fighting or anything. They're mainly here because they can help around the castle _and_ because they can apparate practically anywhere." Harry had still seemed hesitant before Hermione had added, "Harry, you'd be doing them a lot of good. Releasing them from those awful masters of theirs."

The line of tiny creatures stretched across the Great Hall like a medium strip. It was hard to differentiate between male and female, because they all looked so similar. Luna shifted next to me, and it was then that I noticed the Ravenclaw tie around her waist."Copycat." I whispered, indicating to the blue and bronze tie.

She looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I smirked. "You stole that idea from me." It didn't bother me that much, but it was still a tad annoying. The tie had resonated deep and meaningful symbolism in my head and for Luna – it was simply something to add a bit of colour to her uniform.

"Oh, did you come up with this?" she said in amazement.

I nodded, my eyes narrowing. "Yeah. I just felt like doing it." Luna nodded to the side, and a flash of Lupin hit my brain. _I must remember to greet him later on, _I told myself. The news of Tonks's pregnancy had spread around the castle like sunlight. Of course, this meant that she couldn't fight, but she refused to go home and had set up in the Hospital as a Healer."Well," Luna whispered, breaking me out of my thoughts, "you should know that half the students are wearing it now."

"What?"I blinked in surprise.

"Oh yes. Everyone has really taken a liking to it. They say that it reminds them that we are Hogwarts. It reminds us of what we're fighting for." She smiled her beautiful smile, and I couldn't help but nod.

_So much hope. _I shook my head slightly as I stared at the ground. _How? _The stories of muggle murders had been blanketed upon the pages of _The Quibbler_ lately. The only moderately protected area in Britain was Hogwarts, and Dumbledore had said that it could be breached. I had translated that as it _will_ be. I looked up through the roof of the Great Hall. The sky was the darkest I'd ever seen it be in at midday. _Soon, _whispered a voice in the back of my head and I quickly tried to repress it.

Suddenly Luna giggled, a sound I had always associated with tinkling bells. "You are right though, Ryuu. When you said I was a copycat." I merely looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She lifted the end of her tie, the blue partly matching her eyes. "It _does_ look a bit like a tail. You could say that we're the Cats of Hogwarts." Her golden key earrings clinked as she brushed her pale hair behind her left ear.

I smiled at the oddity. "I suppose you could say that."

We watched the procession for a few minutes more before Luna looked outside the doorway. "Hmm… I really should be getting some practise. I need to improve on my disarming spells."

I straightened myself up from leaning against the wall and stretched my arms out in front of me. "Sure. I'll go with you."

"Oh, if you wouldn't mind. I do need to speak with both of you first."

I paused at the unmistakable, unexpected voice and turned with fascination to rest my eyes upon the tall bearded man in front of me. He smiled as I nodded once in recognition. "Professor Dumbledore." I still wasn't sure how best to approach the old man. A hint of resentment still resided in me from his abandoning of the school in the previous year, but Dumbledore was the leader of the resistance now. He was like my boss and somehow I knew this meant I had to treat him with more respect than I did on his final day as Headmaster.

"Good day to you, Miss Veil, Miss Lovegood." As he said our names he inclined his head in our direction. He clutched his hands in front of him, and his wand was balancing behind his ear. I had often seen Luna do the same thing, and wondered at the practicalities. "I wished to speak with you about your squad."

"Oh," I said. I had been wondering when they were finally going to announce who we would be fighting with.

"The both of you have been placed in the same team, along with Miss Noseworthy and Mr Caruso." I narrowed my eyes as I fitted the names to faces. Dumbledore must have been referring to Reeah Noseworthy's younger sister, a Ravenclaw who had attended many of the DA meetings. Caruso clicked somewhere in my mind, but I couldn't be sure of who it was. _I'll get to know him soon enough. _I was quite pleased that Luna was in the same team as I was. That would make it easier for me to fight, with her by my side.

"The name of your squad is Team 24." Dumbledore finished.

Luna interjected, her voice wafting around my ears. "Oh, that is a bit of a silly name isn't it?"

Dumbledore looked at Luna over his half moon spectacles. "How so, Miss Lovegood?"

"Well, for one thing, if the teams are numbered the opposition will know exactly how large our army is. This is something that we don't want them to know. We need them to believe that we have a lot of fighters, because in contrast, there are many Death Eaters." Even though she was speaking about quite a morbid situation, her expression never changed from one of tranquillity. "Also, with numbers, it's easy to get confused about who is in which team. You need team names that are more personalised – but still all relate to a pattern."

The old man smiled and pushed his spectacles further up his crooked nose. "Then what do _you_ suggest we do, Miss Lovegood?"

Luna's eyes twinkled. "It's simple isn't it?" And as she said the next part of her sentence, I tried hard to contain my bemused laughter. "Aren't we all the Cats of Hogwarts?"

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Draco

I splashed the water onto a towel and rested it over my neck to soothe the anxiety. The snake tattooed on my arm writhed as I stared at it. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from screaming. The snakes. _Every day they're in my home. On my body. Watching. Waiting._

I hastily dressed in my armour, feeling how uncomfortable it was on my skin. The mask was infuriating to wear. The Lord said that it worked in our advantage, because we could see our enemy, but they couldn't see us. To me, it was simply an inconvenience. A huge metal clunky thing covering my face. But, it was necessary for battle, because it deflected most curses.

I stuffed my wand into my glove. Whenever I flicked my hand, it unsheathed itself, so it was handy to tuck it away whenever I needed to use melee. Several throwing knives glinted in my belt like teeth. On the left side where normal ones and on the right were ones that were dipped in a poison. These were for enemies. People that we had to bring back to the Lord.

I walked towards the doorway of my room to see my mother watching me. I stopped, startled before she spoke. "Draco."

I advanced, so that she could see me better. Her face was the same as it always was. A mask much heavier than the one I wore now. She looked through the slits so she could see my eyes. "You must return."

Something inside my stomach twisted. I placed my hand across my heart. A gesture she had taught me as a child. "This means certainty, or a promise," she had said. "It has been used in my family for centuries." She looked at my position with realisation flickering in her eyes.

"I will."

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Ryuu

"Congratulations, by the way." I said to Lupin over my platter. He replied with a curt nod and sipped his coffee. The Hall was filled with the sound of cutlery clinking and people's conversations. Dinnertime was usually quite loud, and easily the most enjoyable meal of the day. I'd taken a guess at why and the answer had come almost instantly. _Relief. A relief that we'd lived another day._

The newly appointed house elves had cooked some truly delicious food, and I couldn't deny the superb quality of my honey coated potatoes. "Thank you, I'll tell Tonks you said that." Lupin leaned in closer. "She wanted to come this afternoon, but when I went to escort her, she fell asleep."

I smiled. Tonks would have killed him if she'd known he'd told me that. Lupin studied me before asking another question. "What squad are you in?"

I swallowed my last potato. "Tortoiseshell. With Luna."

He laughed. "What kind of lark came up with the idea of naming the teams after breeds of cats?"

I smiled, keeping the secret to myself. It would only make Lupin feel guilty. "Do you know what gender the baby is?"

"No, actually. We want it to be a surprise."

"Well," I said as I finished eating and placed my fork on the plate, "if it's a girl, you should definitely call her Ryuu."

He tilted his head to the side. "No, it sounds far too masculine to be a girl's name."

I raised my eyebrows a tad startled. "Nice one, Professor." I raised my goblet of pumpkin juice to my lips, just in time for a hand to grab my shoulder, forcing me to jump so the drink splattered across my face. "Ryuu! You've got to see this!"

I lowered my now empty goblet and dabbed at my face with a napkin. "I'm sorry I can't hear you over the sound of pumpkin juice - _all over me."_

Ron hastily apologised as I stood. I looked at him with annoyance. "I'm assuming that my drink was poisoned by the way you madly flung yourself at my shoulder?"

He ignored me. "Remember the DA galleons?"

The question was so random, and Ron appeared so frantic that I dropped my sarcastic mood and complied with interest. "Of course."

Ron swallowed, looking around the Great Hall. "Maybe we should talk about this in private." He glanced at Lupin. "You'd better come too."

After Ron had guided us out of the Great Hall and into the corridor outside it, I caught sight of Harry, Hermione and Ginny talking in hushed tones against the wall. They looked up as we approached. All of them appeared to be in different stages of nervousness. Because of the cloudy night sky outside, the hallway was almost completely dark. _"Lumos."_ I muttered, and squinted at the sudden burst of luminescence.

"What is going on here?" Lupin asked. His tone had adapted back to that of a Professor. It was effective, because Harry instantly pulled out a coin from his pocket and placed it in Lupin's palm. I stood on my toes to see it clearly. It was one of the galleons that Hermione had jinxed last year. Except, instead of numbers appearing in glowing red lights across the top of the galleon, it was words.

_THE LEAKY CAULDRON._

A chill ran through me. This could only mean one thing. There was a message coming from the Leaky Cauldron via one of the bewitched galleons. Lupin looked confused and Hermione began to explain what the galleons were and how they were used last year. I took the coin from his hand and inspected it.

"Some of the others told me about what they did with their galleons," Ginny began her eyes as hard as stone. "They said that they gave them to their family members. Their parents, their uncles, their grandmothers. And now there are these messages – these pleas for help."

Quiet fell like a dead weight before Harry spoke up in a determined tone. "We have to go save them."

A seconds pause; and then I rounded on him. "Are you _mad?"_ I heard my voice echo around the silence and noticed how sharp it was. Hastily, I lowered it to a hiss and continued. "You have no idea who could be using those coins."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "I don't… understand. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that," I swallowed. I didn't want to think of the possibility, but it was too likely. "Death Eaters could've easily taken these from their – _victims._" I returned the coin to Harry's hand. "We should just ignore them."

Sense seemed to dawn upon Ginny and I could see that she was at least starting to think over what I had said. But, at that moment, Harry, Ron and Hermione instantly flared up.

"_What?!"_

"Ryuu! How can you say that?"

"Are you suggesting that we just leave them there?!"

I sighed. _Gryffindors. They're like wack-a-mole. You take one down, and three more pop up. _"Listen," I said, looking around at each of their horrified faces. "If I were a Death Eater, this would be the perfect opportunity to catch you. It appeals to your weaknesses. When people's families are in danger, their feelings of logic and self preservation tend to be abandoned." I placed my hands on my hips. "If you reply, and you go to the Leaky Cauldron, it would give them the chance to ambush you."

There was a shocked silence before Ron looked at me in disgust. "Don't talk like that." he spat, "You sound like one of _them_."

"Hey!" Lupin snapped as I blinked away the anger. "She has a point. Everyone is just a little on edge." He looked directly at Ron. "We can talk about this more in the morning."

Ron straightened and lightly thumped his hand against the wall. I gathered myself and stared him straight in the eye. "I'm going to bed." I said coldly, before turning my back.

_DONG._

I paused mid-step. _No, _I thought_, _flinging myself around to see the same thoughts planted on the expressions of the others.

_DONG. _

I whipped my wand from my pocket and dashed towards the window. The shields surrounding the castle were highlighted in an electric blue. Outside the shields, I could see what looked like an immense shadow. My breath caught in my throat. There was a gaping hole in the shield, a horrible clear gap like a bruise.

_DONG. _

I turned on my heel and fled back into the Great Hall. All conversation had ceased and everyone was on their feet, looking towards the sky. I ignored how deathly still it was and rushed towards the familiar figure of Luna, frantically pulling on her sleeve. She turned to face me, half absent as always, although this time it actually meant something.

_DONG._

"Luna." I demanded, "Stay with me."

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was running._

_Her little feet jumped over the steeping stones as she pranced through her own world of imagination. For the garden she played in was not a garden, but a forest. With towering trees and moss covered stones that guarded the fragile skin of the streams. Many a strange creature was hidden underneath every toadstool; dangerous beasts lurked in the cold shadows behind every mountainous oak. _

_She skipped around a fence that was infested with a lingering rose bush. The flowers were beautiful; a bright yellow in colour and the girl was reminded of how the sun winked down at her in the morning. _

_Her feet sank into the depths of the rich soil as she approached the fence. She slunk around behind it to rest in the shade of the rosebush. "The witch will never find me here," she whispered. The game was more fun with other children but it was still as effective if she spoke the lines herself. In the corner of her eye she noticed a bright green insect. It sat idly upon the petals of a rose, plainly obvious to anyone who noticed things. _

_And the girl noticed many things._

_The bright-green-jumpy-bug sprang into the air, easily scaling the girl's head and landing on another rose. The girl gasped at the bug's amazing ability and giggled. _

"_Silly bug!" she said to it as she carefully placed her finger next to the creature. It uncertainly shifted onto her skin and she lifted it up in front of her nose so her emerald green eyes could inspect it closely. "That's so silly of you!" she scolded it. She slowly placed it onto the leaf of the nearest rose, where it blended in naturally to its surroundings. _

"_It's best to stay hidden," she crooned. _

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A/N: Ooh the First Raid! Stay tuned for some action and game changers…


	27. Chapter 5 - The First Raid

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Thank you BunnyMooMooMonster for your review - greatly appreciated.

On another note, I recently received a review from an anonymous guest who asked if I knew that 'Draco' actually means dragon. Well, yes actually I think while I was organising the entire metaphorical premise of Dragon_s_ Among Serpents (note the plural), I might've come across that etymology. In Greek, however, Draco translates to: 'The Serpent' – which because of his family background and his fear of snakes, the Draco in my story associates more strongly with in the beginning. Anyway, it might have come up a few times in the hour long rant with my Beta, but I do actually have reasoning behind details in this story. For example… eye colours. Ryuu and Draco. Green and silver. Slytherin colours. The Flock; Dennis, Luna, Zach and Ryuu. Dark red, blue, yellow and green – the house colours. The fact that dogs hate Ryuu and Dusk hates Draco – because dogs are representative of Death Eaters and cats are symbolic for Hogwarts fighters. Pretty much everything is a result of careful planning on my behalf. In fact, I'd like to challenge you. If you can find any detail or random instance that seems irrelevant, ask me about it and I will justify it. Obviously not an offhand quirky description, but anything else – feel free to have a go at me.

Okay, rant over. This chapter's a short one, but, well…

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 5 – The First Raid

Draco

Screams filled the cold night's air. We ran as a pack, much like the way we used to move back in our school days. But school was over now. This much was clear. Zabini moved ahead of me, with surprising stealth for his huge body. We were approaching one of the castle's entrances now.

We ducked behind a tree to gather our senses. Fires erupted in random areas on the grass. It appeared that the half-giant half-wit had set up some traps to protect his hut. It was insanely dark; all of the lights in the castle were extinguished. The only way we could see was from the moon. Pansy lit her wand – but only barely – as we huddled behind the brambles.

Reeah's blue eyes glinted through her mask in the light of the wand. "Which way do we go now?"

Pansy's voice was certain. "The fastest way to the Kitchens is through here." She pointed to an area on the map that was narrower than the others. It really wasn't necessary to have a map, because Pansy's memory was so _exact_, but Father had insisted.

"Alright, well we should hurry." Blaise said from his lookout point. "They're getting closer."

"Who?" I asked.

His dark eyes found mine. "The soldiers."

_What? _I hastened to his side and looked out into the darkness. After my eyes adjusted, I caught glimpses of several shadows moving in front of the fires. Quickly, but not fast enough to miss entirely. In the distance, several bolts of coloured light pierced the darkness. "It's started." Reeah whispered from my right shoulder.

I nudged Blaise and we began to move along the outskirts of the battle, avoiding the small duels that had sprung up in the grounds surrounding us. Finally, we were a few feet away from an entrance and we quickly ducked through the door. The corridor was completely silent as the door thudded behind us. I raised my wand, pointing it into the nothingness, and waited. Sure enough, the attack was almost sudden.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _

I dodged the spell and paid close attention to where it had been fired from. _The left corner. _I non-verbally jinxed them so that they were forced downwards and muttered. _"Lumos Maxima." _Suddenly, the room looked as if it had been bathed in daylight. The boy I had jinxed was flat on the ground, his face contorted in the effort to try and stand up. Something moved from behind a pillar, and before I could react a taller boy sprang out from its cover.

Lighting flung from Reeah's wand and hit him full in the chest. His eyes glazed over and her thudded against the wall, mumbling nonsense to himself. I turned to thank Reeah, but the words caught in my mouth. She was breathing heavily, and with one swift movement she sprang down the hallway, Blaise in close pursuit. Pansy and I caught up to them as they rounded a corner into two Death Eaters taking down an unfamiliar adult. We sped past them, quickening our pace as several missiles impacted into the castle walls, causing the ground to shake and our strides to stumble.

Pansy took the lead, ruthlessly slashing her wand through the air when any enemies approached. All fell to the ground in obvious agonising pain, but their cries seemed not to affect her. We twisted our way through abandoned classrooms, hallways laden with bodies of both Death Eaters and our opposition alike. _This was Hogwarts. _I kept thinking to myself. For the castle around me seemed alien and horrible. The people in it were no longer students. They were allies, enemies or dead. Three classifications that meant the difference between acting and recoiling.

A soldier cloaked in shadow jumped out from behind a doorway and shot a disarming spell at me. It worked, and my wand went spiralling towards the window. For a moment I panicked, before it hit the sill and landed on the ground. A harsh kick to the face sent me to the ground and I scrambled to retrieve my weapon. My mask was crushed inwards and I hastily tore it from my face. My attacker fled as I rose to my feet. _Coward. _

"_Come on_, Malfoy!" Zabini roared from further in front of me. I staggered after him as he followed his fiancé down a flight of stairs, to meet Pansy at a thick wooden door.

"This is the one." she said. She too, had abandoned her mask, and her black hair was incredibly messy. I noticed with amusement that none of us had kept the masks on. _Well, they are very infuriating._ "This is the door to the Kitchens."

Zabini readied himself a few feet away from the door, turning on his side. "Right then, I'll bring it down." He was just about to run at the door, when Reeah placed a slender hand on his upper arm.

"Or… we could do this." she pointed her wand at the lock and whispered _"Alohomora."_ With a rusty _click_ the door slowly swung inwards.

Zabini straightened and smiled wanly. He nodded towards Reeah as she laughed lowly. It was strange to see her laughing. Especially at a time like this. "Thanks sweetheart." Blaise said, before winking at her and ducking to enter the kitchens. As Reeah visibly blushed in the darkness and followed, Pansy called out from behind them. "Geez! Get a room!"

The Kitchens were lit with yellow light and almost completely empty. An enormous table was in the centre of the room, covered in so much food that my stomach ached. Along the walls were several cooking machines. Oversized hearth-boxes and a winter-cupboard so large that the four of us could have lived in there. A few house elves were huddled in the corner and they screamed as we approached. Pansy quickly silenced them and I averted my eyes from their limp bodies.

"Okay, everyone." I ordered. "Get as much food as you can." I handed them each a small beige bag that had extension charms placed on them. We all divided to search in different areas. I hastily stuffed a loaf of bread into my bag and then started on some fruit. _So far so good. No one's injured. We made it to the Kitchens._ I waved my wands at a rack of liquor and the bottles flew into the bag, clinking as they piled inside neatly. Something hit the castle upstairs and dust fell from the ceiling. Reeah looked up anxiously. "This place could come down on us at any minute."

"Then do it _faster_." Pansy snarled as she frantically shoved any food she could into her pack. She'd just picked up a leg of ham when we heard something from the end of the room. A ticking. It was like a clock but more profound. To my surprise, Reeah walked over to the wall and pressed her ear up against it. After a few seconds she gasped and staggered backwards.

"_No way." _she breathed.

"What is it?" I asked her. She looked paler than usual.

She spun around to look directly at Zabini. _"RUN!"_

Everything happened in the span of two seconds. First, Reeah flung herself to the side. Next Pansy dropped the bag of food she was holding and began to dash towards the doorway. Zabini pushed past her, sprinting towards his fiancé and was just leaping over the preparations table when the wall exploded. I slid down onto the floor, screaming _"Protego!"_ as several pieces of debris clanged against my shield. Chunks of stone collided with the floor and their pieces scattered around the room at dangerous speeds. I heard a screech as Pansy tripped over one and fell painfully against a wall.

A firework dragon sprouted through the gap in the stone and peered around the room with curiosity. It then roared, the sound splitting my eardrums, and began to crack its way through the remainder of the stone. _It's- just like the one from last year! _I realised in astonishment as I tugged my wand from my glove.

Across the other side of the room, Zabini rose from the gravel, supporting an injured Reeah. He caught sight of me and yelled across the din of the dragon. "What do we do?!"

The dragon forced its way through the wall and breathed fire into the room. I dodged the blaze, gut only by inches. "Let's go!" I said, grabbing my bag of food and pelting for the doorway. Pansy leaned against it and she hauled herself onto her feet to run ahead of me. We raced through the doorway, only stopping to make sure Zabini was following. He stumbled through after us, Reeah scooped up in his arms as easily as if he were carrying a pillow. I slammed the door shut and fired a sealing charm at it just as a _thud_ resonated from the other side.

We slumped in the darkness, frantically catching our breath. "Well," Pansy began, "obviously those Weasley twins are still alive," she scowled. "For now."

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Ryuu

"_Langlock!"_

Whatever curse the Death Eater was about to throw at me was lost forever as his tongue plastered to the roof of his mouth. I pushed him backwards and his head collided with a jagged stone in the brick. A sickening sound swelled through my ears as he clutched at his head. I grasped Luna's sleeve tighter as she disarmed the woman behind me and we ducked into an empty room.

I dragged her towards the darkness and we sprawled against the wall, gasping for breath. I glanced at Luna to see if she was injured, but she appeared fine. Much better than me. I had the feeling that several of my toes were broken, though I couldn't tell beneath the thick leather of my boots. My back throbbed from when I was thrown against the wall a few minutes ago. Although it felt like I had been running for hours.

The dark. Curses whizzing through corridors, hexes being fired in the hallways, and always running madly. The sickening bite of panic with the knowledge that my fate rested on split second decisions. Heart pumping life through my veins – how had I never truly heard it before? I felt as if I'd never been aware of anything until now; now that murderers in masks and tails chased each other through the castle. Everything seemed fragmented, bursting with urgency. Time. Thought. Life. I was glad Luna was at my side. I felt a driving need to keep her in my sights – to never let her stray too far away. I had to protect her from the dark. And I couldn't be left alone in it.

"Ryuu. We have to go. We have to find them. They said they would be-"

"I know. Okay." I stood. "Can you tell which way the Dungeons are from here?"

She nodded, and I followed her to the doorway. "Zach said before dinner that he was going to see if there was any potions to help his cold. Of course, Dennis agreed to go with him."

I nodded, storing the memory for later analysis. There was obviously more to the story than that, but at the moment I couldn't concern myself with it. Right now, we needed to get to the Dungeons in the chance of finding our friends. Luna grasped the doorhandle in one hand and her wand in the other. "Ready?" She glanced at me with her brave, piercing gaze.

I smiled, trying to make myself look more confident than I felt. "Let's go."

We burst back into the battle scene. A Death Eater stood directly in front of us, so Luna disarmed him. When he watched his wand fly from his grasp I swung my foot up until it made contact with his masked face. He fell backwards and Luna and I raced down the corridor. The adrenaline pumped through my veins. _I've never done that before… _I thought in wonderment as the castle shook from another impact. I tripped and my jaw pummelled against the ground painfully, my ears rang in protest. I shook the numbness away as I rolled on to my side, and Luna helped me upwards.

A Death Eater smashed through the window on a broomstick and I fired a stunning jinx at her. She tumbled off and fell on to the ground in a heap. "Nice shot." Luna said from beside me.

I spilled out my thanks as we kept running. We ducked in and out from the shadows, the tails of our ties rippling behind us. I ran ahead, turning a sharp left that almost made me fall over. Moonlight inked into the next hallway as a cloud unveiled itself from its pale glow. A tall man with a light brown beard appeared in front of me. I heard Luna say almost calmly "_Expelliarmus." _And he was pushed backwards, his wand on the ground beside him.

We ran past, but I stopped before the doorway. _Something is wrong. _"What is it?" Luna said as I turned around to face her.

A movement. A jet of red light. Luna's eyes widened in surprise. My scream ricocheted off the walls. I lashed my wand through the empty space and flung a paralysis curse at the man on the ground. But it was too late. He'd already done it.

He'd already cursed Luna.

She fell forwards and I bent to catch her. She was like a rag doll in my arms, thin, unnaturally disjointed. Deep gashes decorated her torso and I looked down at her in horror. Blood soaked my hands as I desperately tried to cover the wounds.

Luna stared at me, suddenly realising what had occurred. She glanced down at her stomach and her arms, where a crimson river flowed freely, with an expression of vague interest. "Oh…" she said weakly. The moon reflected in her mirror-like eyes, so that they looked brighter than usual. She began to shake.

My voice sounded hoarse when I spoke. "Luna…" I gasped. _No…No. No! _

She smiled up at me, a horrifying look of acceptance that made me choke. "You have to find Zach and Dennis." Her voice was shockingly precise and clear, and it pained me to think that she was doing this to comfort me. Even now, despite everything, _she_ was worried about _me._

I looked at her full in the eyes. "Okay Luna. You're going to be fine. I'm going to help you okay?"

She shook her head, still smiling politely.

"LUNA!" I screamed at her, pain tearing my tone. "Don't you _dare_ give in! Get on my back. Come on." I hauled her around my waist, and clenched her hands together over my shoulders. I slid my arms underneath her knees, and made sure that I could support her if I stood up straight. All the while she kept saying my name, in her knowing voice. Her wise simple voice. "No," I reassured firmly, "I'm going to take you to the Hospital Wing."

"Ryuu, you and I both know that you can't do this…" she said this as if she was telling me that the ocean was blue and the grass was green.

I ignored her and forced my wand in between her fingers. "Okay. Now I'm going to be holding you up, so you need to cast the spells."

"Ryuu-"

"-Dammit, Luna! I'm _not_ leaving you here!" I could hear how strange my voice sounded. Like I was hearing it on a voice recording. Slightly distorted and not at all how I expected myself to sound like.

I began to jog through the doorway taking the quickest route to the Room of Requirement. The Hospital had been moved there under the notion that most of the Death Eaters didn't know about it, so it was far safer to hide our sick and injured there. I could feel Luna's blood seeping through my shirt, even staining my hair. She sounded frighteningly quiet, despite her ragged breathing. "Ryuu, you must leave me here-"

"-No."

"But, I'm too heavy-"

"_-Shut up!"_ I snapped. "Luna, I love you! And I refuse to leave you here!"

I felt her smile against the back of my neck. "You always were too stubborn for your own good."

I didn't like her use of past tense. My back was screeching at me to stop, but my will pushed me further. I refused to trip as I flew up the stairs, my possibly broken toes snapping in eight different places. Every muscle in my being ached, but I didn't listen to their complaints. The only sound in my ears was that of my own heartbeat, and another's, which I presumed to be Luna's. It was agonisingly slow, but I held onto it, as it sputtered and faltered, refusing to let go. "You will not die." I muttered, only to hear a small whisper from the girl on my back.

A figure emerged from the darkness, wand raised. I didn't have time to see if it was friend or foe. "Luna, there!" I shouted, and a sharp snap of light flashed from my wand. The figure stilled, paralysed, and keeled over like a falling tree. I jumped over him, hearing Luna's strangled gurgle as we landed, and flinching at the shooting pain that elevated up my right leg. But I kept running. I imagined I probably looked manic, sprinting around the castle at night with a bleeding girl clinging to me like a limpet. But only because I forced her to.

As I was just about to call out in desperation and anxiety, the door to the Room of Requirement came into view, I dashed towards it, running over the crouched body of a Death Eater and kicked the door open. All heads in the room turned to me, and many of them stared with their jaws hanging open as they took in my wide eyed, bloodstained figure, hauling a wounded girl on my back. "What are you waiting for?!" I yelled. _"DO SOMETHING!"_

I was unsure whether the swarm of people acted out of fear or urgency, but they snapped out of their addled state fast. In a matter of seconds, I was brought over to a bed, in which a man helped me place Luna on the covers. Maroon gushed out of her wounds, and she looked at me with a face that was paler than winter's kiss. "Ryuu…"

"I'm staying with her." I snapped to the lime robed Healers around me as I dug my fingernails into the sheets of the bed.

A trolley trundled towards the foot of the bed, displaying jars and boxes of various shapes and sizes. Inside were coloured powders and liquids, some that squirmed independently. I only had eyes for Luna, whose deep blue eyes were sparkling, but not with tears. My voice wobbled as I spoke. "See, what did I tell you? You're going to be fine. They're going to fix you."

Luna smiled again; my heart ached. "No, Ryuu… this is it."

"No." I said, biting down on my lip so hard it bled. My eyes were stinging and I sounded fainter than Luna. "No. It's not."

The Healers dabbed at her wounds with cloths and bandages. This did nothing to stop the blood flow. "Give her the medicine!" I snapped to the woman next to me, but she ignored me and continued her slow procedure.

Blood ran from Luna's mouth as she spoke again. "My father… you n-need to tell him for me."

I clutched the sheet, fingernails digging into the cloth, gaping at her. _She isn't saying this. She will not die. _I shook my head. _"Luna-"_

"-And my sister. She n-needs to know…" her eyes, the colour of a sea before a storm, glazed. "… to keep going."

I felt my throat constrict. _She's hallucinating. She's an only child. _"Luna… you…" My voice choked as I stared into her face, bleaching of colour and spoke in a whisper, so that only she could hear, "you don't have a sister."

At this, she blinked once, in a gesture demonstrating slight confusion before smiling her most perplexing smile. Trembling, her hand slid to rest on my own. "Yes… I do."

And then she died.

It was in an instant. Her eyes stopped seeing. The blood gushing from her mouth released itself in a delicate trickle. Any influences of colour that had once inhabited her skin ceased to exist, as her hand loosened its slight grip on mine and her touch began to cool.

I wasn't sure what I expected. A collective sigh. A slow-down in time. A decrease in the sea levels and a change in the wind. Perhaps a ringing quiet that encompassed the atmosphere and seeped through the world. Maybe for people to look up to the skies, eyes distant and faces forlorn as if realising that something was missing. That the lights had gone out and the world was now all the more darker. That someone special was lost, missing, gone. Never to return. Not coming back. _Gone._

But no. The Healers still fussed over her body, some of them sighing deeply as they realised. The sounds of battle still raged outside, distant booms and crashes echoed through my ears, reverberating into my core. The watch strapped to my wrist still ticked away as normally paced as ever. Luna's blue gaze was still staring up at me, like she always did – except now her eyes were blank and wrong. There was no sparkle in them. No life. No Luna.

_No. No. No. _I registered her limp hand covering mine and clutched it tightly. There was no response. _No._

The world was coated in a blur as I sucked in the oxygen that I would need to scream her name, to bring her back to me. To see her smile again. To hear her voice once more. I felt the dampness of my eyes as the tears gathered in them, forcing Luna behind a panel of thick, foggy, glass. The witch next to me sensed my reaction and pointed to a man across the bed, speaking in a voice I heard from what felt like a million miles away. "You there, quieten her. She'll bring the whole castle here."

The spell had just taken affect as the silent scream ripped through my lungs, tearing at my throat. I clawed at the sheets, trying to reach for my friend, but strong arms lifted me off my feet as the second scream stabbed through my being. I slashed at the person holding me, but was blinded by the tears. I had to get to her. I couldn't let these strangers touch her. I wouldn't let anyone do anything to her. _I need to protect her._ Still struggling, I was forced into a chair, the strong arms holding me down until I had stopped calling out her name in my mind. My eyes never left the hospital bed where I could see her lying as a sheet soaked in crimson was pulled over her face. _No, _I thought wildly,_ she needs to breathe! They can't…_ But the Healers at her bed moved away and the strong arms only pressed down harder upon me as I tried to get up, numbly aware that my fingernails were digging into my palms and warm blood slid across my fingertips. _Luna… Luna…_ I mouthed her name uselessly, my voice muzzled by the spell, calling silently to receive an identical response in kind.

My entire body froze before shaking with quiet sobs as tears streamed down my face and I curled up under the weight of the painful, unbearable truth._ She's… gone._

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was crying._

_The tears created a reflective sheen over her eyes that glinted in the drastically bright sunlight. The mother hadn't seen her cry for some time now, but the girl had always been disturbingly quiet whenever she was upset. Both of the parents had tried to talk the girl out of her reverie with gentle words and happy stories, but none of their attempts had prevailed. _

_The girl refused to wipe the tears away as she gazed down at the empty shell of the bluebird that used to contain so much life. It had hit the window so suddenly, that none of them had been able to react before it died. Its wings were broken and crumpled around its tiny body, its face folded into the soft feathers under its neck. It had been beautiful. Its feathers a light blue that would have made the sky flash green with envy._

_The father knelt down beside his tiny daughter. He inspected her face and gave a sideways glance at the mother. The silent communication was simple, and an old habit that had fallen between them. He gingerly grasped his daughter's little hand and attempted to pull the girl away from the body of the fallen bird._

_But despite his efforts, the girl remained still, looking on soundlessly. _

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A/N: Oh gosh, Luna. I still haven't forgiven myself.


	28. Chapter 6 - The Girl Under The Tree

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Yes, I had to do it. I'm still traumatised by Luna's death, and if you don't feel the same then you may have to question your morality. The flock never really was quite the same after the First Raid. And of course, as you'll see, Ryuu certainly wasn't. But anyway – lighter topic now. Thankums muchly Guest101 for your wondrous review! In answer to your question; I have been thinking about writing a short story concerning that particular subject matter and Reeah's been encouraging me so it's a high possibility. On a side note, looking forward to tomorrow – Harry and JK's birthday. This chapter is for my Beta, who I miss. It's been precisely 18 hours and 6 minutes since the last time I saw you. Pathetic huh? (Swear I'm not a stalker, just feel like I haven't talked to you for ages.)

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 6 – The Girl Under The Tree

Draco

The room was dark. So dark that when I lifted up my hand in front of my eyes, I saw nothing. I forced a mental picture of the curve of my fingers, the colour of my skin, and the movements of my hand, to appear behind my eyelids. Something about this place was unnatural, and it was of paramount importance that I remember who I was.

A pang of shock coursed through me as I realised that I was weaponless. I fumbled inside my pockets for my wand, only to find them empty. I cursed. This was not ideal. I needed to get out of here. Now.

"_Help!"_

My throat clenched. Every muscle in my body tensed as the voice instantly clicked in my mind. It echoed through my head like the lyrics of the song I had randomly and unwontedly remembered, no matter how hard I had tried to repress it. _No. _I balled my hand into a fist and spun around to face its source.

Nothing.

The space was empty. In panic, my eyes swung to both sides, searching for trickery. But the area around me was clothed in darkness. Still. Silent. I turned on my heel and strode in a random direction. With a start, I looked down at my shoes when water splashed around them. Barely three centimetres deep, but for some reason I guessed that the puddle expanded over the entire area. _Where am I?_

"_Please…" _

I slashed at the air next to me, breathing heavily. The voice had spoken just below my neck. It was close. _She_ was close. My heart sank as I felt a presence behind me and slowly turned, my breath faltering in my throat as I focused on her.

Ryuu smiled. "You're here."

I stepped back, the water splattering as my shoe thudded to the ground. Her face wavered, and she looked through my eyes with a hurt expression. "It's _me. _Ryuu._"_

I shook my head. "How? How are you here?"

She nervously slid her thumb over the insides of her fingers. "I… was looking for you."

I examined her. She was wearing a plain white blouse and a grey skirt, and looked cold. As I studied her, she shivered, hugging her arms around herself. Her hair tumbled down in its perfect ringlets and her green eyes shone as brightly as a patronus. My legs numbly moved forwards until I was standing directly in front of her. She looked up at me, her pale skin glowing in the darkness.

A solitary tear dropped from the corner of Ryuu's right eye. "I-I'm _scared."_ Nervously, she tugged at a stray golden ringlet protruding from behind her ear.

A memory of her tied up in Umbridge's office rekindled in my mind and when I spoke, my voice was cold and low. "Stop it." Instantly, her head flicked up and she stared at me, full in the face. Her eyes were obediently dry and she smiled so pleasantly that a shudder jolted my shoulders. She lifted her hand and reached towards my face. I froze, but her touch never found me. Instead, her skin pressed against the glass wall that separated us.

I gasped as she stared at me. For some reason, a sense of horror gripped me. Ryuu was trapped in the darkness. She must have been terrified. Surely her claustrophobia couldn't handle this.

I held my hand over hers, the thin glass cold to touch. "I'm going to help you," I said, as I looked around for something to smash the wall with.

She grinned and leaned her forehead against the glass, looking relieved. "Thank you, Draco."

I gazed at her. The way she had said my name made me want to throttle her and enclose her in my arms at the same time. How had she done that? What did she mean? I searched her face for an answer, but as expected, it was closed. Even now. I sighed and dropped my forehead against the glass with a dull _thud._ There was now hardly anything separating us. She looked up at me with minimal effort, and I stared down at her, desperately trying, and failing, to avert my eyes. "Ryuu…"

My heart chilled over as I saw it. It moved in the darkness, so obvious it could have been luminescent. I jumped away from the glass and Ryuu's face softened in confusion. The snake reared up behind her shoulder, its tongue flickering out from between its lips with evident greed.

"No!" I yelled, pointing to the creature. "Ryuu! Run! Get away from it!"

She looked at me, uncomprehending, and her mouth formed a word that didn't make any sound. "_What?"_

I advanced and stared her in the eye, "The snake! BEHIND YOU!"

It slithered around her, coiling her fragile body inside its crushing grip. Still, Ryuu didn't notice a thing. "NO!" I screamed, thrashing at the glass wall with all my strength, but it didn't shatter. It didn't even dent. Ryuu mouthed another word. "_Draco?"_

My response was choked in my throat as the realisation hit me. She couldn't hear me. Nor I her. I threw myself at the glass, to feel my shoulder throb with pain. The snake twisted around until it was directly in front of her face. Ryuu's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in a scream.

I didn't need to look at her to know what she was saying. My name. She was calling for my help. She struggled, her hands reaching out to the panel between us, before the snake's jaw unhinged and I cried out. "RYUU!"

At the moment just before the snake struck, the world seemed to tip and I suddenly realised that we'd swapped positions. Now I was wrapped in the snake's twisting embrace and Ryuu was on the other side of the glass, triumphant smirk slipping ever so slightly as she spoke a word I couldn't hear.

My eyes flung open and I jerked upright, the dream still imprinted across my vision. My hands were shaking as I tore the sheet from my body and staggered over to my desk. I savagely thrust my hand into the drawers and retrieved a quill and a sheet of parchment. I muttered under my breath as I formed the words in writing.

"I hate her, I hate her, I hate her, I hate her…"

The ink ran down the page as the end of the nib snapped, but I continued writing furiously. The parchment became distorted in front of me as my breath regained its normal flow and my head stopped pounding. I breathed out in finality, my mind cleared. Lazily, I realised that my hand was still scrawling words across the parchment.

Lifting my quill, I stared down at my handiwork. My eyes widened as I noticed the last nine words. The left side of the page displayed a column of the chant, like a shopping list, except the last three lines were quite different from the rest.

_I love her. I love her. I love her._

I tore the quill across the words, covering them with ink and metal debris. I began to spit out the sentence again as I hastily cut them into the paper. _I HATE HER. I HATE HER. I HATE HER! _My hand stung, so I ripped the parchment from the surface of the desk and threw it into the flames of the fireplace. It blackened and crumpled, dying almost instantly and the smell of burning ink filled the room. I pressed my hands into the hard timber of the desk and spoke to the emptiness in a voice of promise.

"I hate her."

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Ryuu

No matter how desperately I wanted to curl up in the foetal position and block out my pain and conscience, I couldn't help but think back to the first day I had met her.

It was my second year of Hogwarts. Nothing had changed in my situation of having no friends, and I was feeling more alone than ever. That morning had been particularly traumatic. In the early hours of the day, before the sun had risen, several of the girls in my dormitories had roused me from my sleep.

"You filthy mudblood." Pansy Parkinson had scowled as she'd tightened her grip on my wrist. I had clawed my fingernails over her skin, and she had shrieked, backing away from me as the other girls fled to her aid. I had struggled to pull the blanket off me, as my legs kicked out of the bed and I stood to face her challenge.

Pansy had looked at me with amusement. "_Obviously_, It hasn't heard the big news." The other three girls laughed.

"What news?" I'd asked, sounding braver than I'd felt.

Millicent Bullstrode, who had been positioned at my right, gasped and planted a fist against my shoulder that had sent me stumbling towards the floor. "It dared to speak to us!" she'd snapped.

Something about the situation had shaken me. Maybe it was the fact that it was still dark outside, and I couldn't see a clear escape, even though I knew the door was nearby. But mostly, the situation was so _personal._ They weren't using wands. My privacy had been cruelly breached, and I'd shivered as my thin pyjamas scratched against the cold marble floor.

"Haven't you guessed why the Heir of Slytherin has returned?" Pansy jeered. "Haven't you considered why all these mudbloods are being petrified?" The room giggled. I'd kept my mouth shut, massaging my shoulder as she'd continued. "It's _you_." she'd spat. "You've disgraced the name of Slytherin, and now he's getting his revenge. One mudblood at a time."

Millicent Bullstrode had reached down and yanked me upwards by my bruised shoulder. I'd released an involuntary yelp as she had, and to my annoyance the bullies had only laughed harder. "Look at It _squirm_!" they'd said. "Watch It cry out for help!"

"That's why all us Slytherin's are rejoicing." Pansy sniggered. "Because Slytherin's monster is cleansing the _filth_ from our presence."

I'd struggled against Millicent's clutches, but that had only increased the pain. "Let me go, you- _fiend_!" But my retorts had only earned me a harsh pull at my hair.

"And you know what's going to happen next don't you, _Little Miss Mudblood?"_ Pansy had dropped in a dramatic pause here. "The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, one of _your_ kind dropped dead. I don't think it should take too long this time." A flash of teeth and a sickening laugh. "Tick, tock…"

A chill had spread through me as Millicent roughly pushed me against the wall and swaggered off with the rest of her friends. Their taunts had echoed through the hallway, through my ears as I huddled alone in the darkness, shakily breathing the panic away.

When the sun had peeked over the horizon, I' dressed in my robes and walked to breakfast alone. Although I'd kept my eyes open and my ears alert, I saw no sign of the girls anywhere. _Relax Ryuu. _I'd recited to myself. _They're just trying to mess with you. Nothing's going to happen. You'll be fine. _

It was at that moment that I had jumped at a sound from behind me.

Before I could scream, my legs had sprinted down the hall as if independent from my body. I'd abandoned my bag and hardly noticed as it fell to the ground. I also hadn't registered the stern but worried voice that had called out to me. "Miss Veil?" Snape had yelled, but I kept running.

Eventually, I'd rushed out into a courtyard and collapsed upon the lush grass. My fingers had twined themselves into the green plantation as I'd panted hysterically. _I'm going to die. I'm going to be murdered. If it's not the monster, then it'll be Pansy and Millicent, I know it! _

"Why hello there. That is a strange position you're in isn't it?"

The voice had drifted towards me as if only half aware of how odd its greeting was. I'd flicked my head up and hastily clambered to my feet to lock eyes with the girl. She was tiny, her slight height more obvious because she was sitting down on the grass beneath a large oak tree. Two others sat with her. Both were male, and both were familiar. Although I couldn't determine their identities, I knew they were in my year. I remembered being surprised that I couldn't match a name to their faces like I could with nearly everyone else in the school. The dark haired Hufflepuff glanced at me with indifference before returning to taking another bite out of his apple. The Gryffindor boy sat by his side, gaping at me in shock. When he noticed I'd been observing him he reddened and politely lowered his gaze to the ground. The girl, however, didn't seem to think it was rude to stare, and had smiled at me pleasantly. She was wearing a Ravenclaw uniform, but I hadn't recalled seeing her in any of my classes. Her radish earrings swished as she'd giggled.

"Who are you?" I'd asked rather rudely.

"I'm Luna."The girl had answered politely, despite the awkwardness that clouded the situation. "This is Zach, and Dennis. Would you like to join us?"

She'd said it so simply. So easily. Like she was asking me to borrow a quill in class – even though no one had ever asked me that because of my blood status. My jaw had slackened as I'd devised a response. It hadn't turned out as smart as I'd wanted it to be. "Me?"

She'd curled a finger through her long white hair. "Well yes. There's no one else around here I could've been talking to, now is there?" She'd looked into the distance. "Except maybe myself. Although that _does _get a bit tedious after some time, don't you think?"

I'd glanced around. The courtyard was empty. The rest of the school must have been enjoying their breakfast in the Great Hall. I'd stood dumbfounded, gawking at the trio. "But- I'm a Slytherin! Surely you don't want _me_ to sit with you?"

Luna had glanced at my robes as if noticing them for the first time. "Oh, you're quite right, you are a Slytherin…" I waited for the cold stares and the grimaces, but they never came. Instead, the girl had beamed at me. "Well, isn't that perfect. We already have a Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw, and now we've got a Slytherin too."

The dark haired boy had tossed his apple in the air and caught it with his other hand. He'd spared a glance in my direction, and I'd noticed in surprise that his eyes were a startling gold. "Jolly good. Now we've got the full set."

Luna had frowned at him before returning to me. "Well, would you like to sit with us?"

My legs had shaken. _Surely this is a prank. _But I'd moved forward anyway, and the next thing I knew I was sitting in between Luna and Dennis, with Zach offering me one of his cauldron cakes. My ears had filled with such a loud ringing that I barely noticed Luna asking for my name.

"Veil." I said, my voice still layered with shock. "Ryuu Veil."

"Well, Veil-Ryuu-Veil. Has anyone ever told you that you're name is quite lovely?" Luna had chimed.

I flickered back to the present, and stared down at the disturbed earth. Ever since that day, the little group under the tree had become my friends. My only friends. Dennis's hand squeezed mine until it hurt, but I didn't care. I leaned against Zach's tall frame, slightly. Just enough to feel his presence. He was shaking. I didn't think I had ever heard him so quiet. _And now here we are, _I though solemnly. _Four years later._

Xenophilius Lovegood knelt by his daughter's grave. Tears crawled down his cheeks as he placed the bouquet of bluebells against the stone. It had been horrible telling him. Looking him in the eye and explaining to him that I hadn't saved his daughter. That she'd died because I hadn't been quick enough.

_No. You are not entirely to blame. You didn't start this war. You didn't fire that curse. _The little voice at the back of my head was steady and reassuring, but I didn't want to listen to it.

Xenophilius coughed as he pulled his wand from the sleeve of his black robes. The tombstone was bare and simple, with engravings of walnuts and flowers twining around the edges. Luna would've liked it, but I supposed that tombstones never really were for the dead. Xenophilius carefully danced his wand along the surface of the stone, forming two words at the top.

_Luna Lovegood._

A choke erupted from Dennis's throat and he buried his face in my shoulder. I could feel the dampness of his tears, but didn't brush him away. He shook his head against me and I bit my lip. I knew I should say something, but no words came to mind. I'd never been the comforter of the group. Because that job had fallen upon…

Xenophilius stood and backed away from the grave. Underneath the heading were three more words.

_A loving daughter._

I felt Zach tense beside me as he stepped forward. The wind whipped at his hair, causing it to stand up wildly. Dennis slowly raised his head and followed Zach to the tombstone. Together, they directed their wands in a flowing pattern, the font of their message quite different to that of Xenophilius's. Eventually, they backed away from the stone to reveal their sentence.

_A true friend._

I felt everyone's eyes on me as I approached the gravestone of my friend. My wand felt heavy in my hand, like a weight that I'd only noticed now. I lifted it to touch the stone and breathed deeply as I formed the words. My writing was basic and scratchy in some places, but when I stepped away it was plainly legible.

_A sister._

I heard the trudging footsteps of Zach as he quickly walked away. I pictured him dodging between the rows of gravestones that now occupied a small area on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. At any moment now, he would pass through the wards that guarded them from Death Eaters, and trudge his way up the hill back to the castle.

In my peripheral vision I saw Xenophilius stride away into the forest, but didn't call out to stop him. He's lost his wife and his daughter. Now, he was alone. Somehow, I knew it was right to let him go.

Dennis took my hand again and I looked up to meet his tear flooded eyes. His expression was pinched, and he appeared younger than I'd ever seen him look. I nodded. We didn't need words anymore. There weren't any anymore. He slowly turned, and I followed him back up the hill, keeping my hand tight in his the entire time.

At the crest, I allowed myself one more look. Releasing myself from Dennis's hold my eyes searched the rows of graves to find Luna's and it didn't take them long. Hers rested in the shade of a large oak tree that looked as if it was just out of reach from the rest of the forest.

I knew where she lay now. Something told me that I had always known.

For there she was again. The girl beneath the tree.

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Draco

"_WE'RE GOING TO GET THEM! THIS IS OUR REVENGE!"_ An ear-splitting cackle followed after the proclamation, and my Aunt burst through the door. My team and I stopped duelling at once and directed our attention to her. She grinned at us, sparing a longer glance in Pansy's direction.

"Miss Parkinson, you should be _very_ proud."

Pansy straightened, smiling politely. "Oh? And why is that, Mrs Lestrange?"

"Because." Aunty Bellatrix began, as she twirled her wand through her hair. She propped herself up onto a table and swung her legs back and forth with evident glee. "The Dark Lord has agreed to your valiant suggestion."

Pansy paled and beamed at the same time. "He… he has?" Aunty Bellatrix nodded, and her and Pansy jumped on the spot in a grotesquely synchronised fashion. Zabini and I exchanged a look. It was obvious that neither of us knew what was going on. Zabini turned to his fiancé' with a raised eyebrow, but Reeah, who was taking a rest, seemed lost in her own thoughts.

"What exactly are you talking about?" I asked coolly.

Pansy immediately stopped jumping and stiffened. Her cheeks flushed and she cracked her knuckles; a habit that had always made me twitch. "Well, my parents were discussing the elf problem. We're at too great a disadvantage to allow it to continue any longer."

I nodded. It was true that the raid on Hogwarts had achieved close to nothing. We hadn't been able to retrieve much food at all, and my stomach ached from the lack of meals. The last time I had eaten was yesterday morning, and my plate had displayed a depressingly small amount of vegetables and a slice of old bread.

"Well, I thought about our solutions and one clear idea came to mind." She was getting absorbed in the story, her dark eyes were glowing. Reeah hoisted herself upwards into a standing position with a cringe. She'd snapped a rib during the raid and it was still painful for her to do too much. Like food, medicine had been running low. "Replacements." Pansy finished with a smug grin.

Zabini looked confused, but a sinister feeling was spreading through my gut. "What do you mean; _replacements?"_ he asked with interest.

Pansy placed her hands on her hips. "I suggested that we capture the mudbloods and use them as slaves."

Reeah's eyes widened, but I noticed that she quickly looked away. I uncomfortably tapped my wand against my leg, thinking this over. _Capturing the muggleborns. _A while ago, I would've thought this to be a brilliant idea, but- I shook my head to clear it, refusing to let the thought progress.

Zabini nodded. "That could be useful, very useful." In the corner of my eye I saw Reeah's mouth twitch and she coughed. Zabini looked towards her, but she was already walking towards the door. "Ree?" he asked unsteadily.

She waved him off and spoke in a croaky voice. "I'm fine. Just need a drink." She quickly left the room.

Aunty Bellatrix sprung from the table and waltzed around the room. "And the Lord has seen the proposal fitting. He's even assigned certain Death Eaters to be what _He_ calls Snatchers." She giggled. "I have to tell the big news to Cissy!" she burst, before exiting with a flourish of skirts and cheerfully insane laughter.

Zabini nodded towards Pansy. "Great job. Well, err…" he glanced towards the doorway. "I think I'll just go check on Reeah." He swallowed and hurried from the room.

Pansy stared at me once he was gone, and my voice came out in a snarl. "Why are you looking at me?"

Her lip hesitated before she answered, approaching with light footsteps. "Are you not pleased, Draco? Do you not approve?"

I pulled my sleeves over my wrist and brushed a hand through my hair. "It's great." I replied half-heartedly.

But Pansy obviously didn't notice the tone of my voice and grinned. "Oh, thank you!" she blurted out, before steadying her voice. "I mean… it wasn't that hard to come up with or anything."

She was looking at me strangely and I shifted towards the exit slightly, a clear indication that I wanted to leave this situation. She observed and bit the inside of her lip, sighing and looking down at her hands, cracking her knuckles again. "Draco, I…"

_Crack. _I suppressed the irritation, but couldn't do the same with my impatience. "What?"

_Crack, crack. _"I- I wanted to know… what you see of me." She raised her gaze to mine and flushed.

I sighed. _Now is not the time for this. _There had been a brief period in fourth year, when I had been bored and half heartedly returned her affections. But ever since… what had happened last year… I'd skirted around a confrontation, feeling that it wasn't necessary. Did she seriously think that I wanted to talk about this? Now, in the middle of a war? With so much on my mind already?

My eyes flickered back to her. Pansy. Dark haired, pepper coloured eyes, pale skin that was now developing a pinkish hue, snarky, trustworthy, Pansy. _Crack._ My accomplice. It would be too much to call her my friend. Sure she'd had her moments, but I'd never- I'd known her since I was a young child! _Crack._ But I couldn't hurt her. That would cause distrust between our families, and the Parkinsons have always been useful to us. However, the thought of being with her was- _crack, crack, crack._

"Stop it! Just, don't." I placed my hand over hers and stiffened. _Dammit. This is just going to give her the wrong idea. _Hastily, I dropped my hold and looked at her intently. "Pansy, I think that you're… _great."_ I knew it sounded weak, but, at this crucial moment, my mind was dormant for words. "But-"

And then something completely unexpected happened. Pansy began to cry.

I gulped. Crying girls was not my area of expertise. Her shoulders shook as she dabbed at the bottom of her eyes with her fingers. She fell back against the windowsill, her voice coming out in harsh rasps through her sobs. _"Lord,_ Draco! I should've known!"

I'd never once seen Pansy cry. I'd seen her mope, but that was usually part of an act. At this moment, she appeared so… unnatural. Like for years she'd been keeping her concerns locked away deep within herself, and on the outside displaying an impenetrable shell of taunts and mockery. Perhaps she had. "Umm…"I mumbled, "Pansy, is there something I can-?"

"No, just- stop talking!" she snapped.

I snarled. I had been trying to comfort her, and that was the thank you I got? _Women…_

"You think I don't _know_ Draco?" she howled. "You think I don't _remember?_" Her mouth twisted and she stood up straighter. "It's awful, having a memory like this. Sure it can come in handy sometimes, but mostly- it's like a curse."

I froze. _Pansy is opening up, to me? Well, this is unexpected. _"What do you mean by that?" I asked carefully.

She snapped her head around at me, so fast that it might have broken her neck. "You have no idea. Have you ever experienced something that you wanted to forget? Or did something that makes you cringe every time you think about it?" she shook her head at me. "Well, at least _you_ have the option. But I don't. I have to live with _everything._ Everything that has ever happened in my life from the time I was a toddler. All the mistakes. All the insults. Every embarrassing moment I've ever had. Every regret."

I winced. I'd never thought of her ability like that.

"And so do you really think that I wouldn't recall the way you looked at It?" her voice was softer, more distant, like she was telling me someone had died. "Did you think I didn't notice when you started calling mudbloods _muggleborns_? And that last year, you… _changed," _She looked into my eyes with a lingering sadness. "Even though you didn't realise it yourself?" Then suddenly, her stare blazed like burning coals. "And It was shifty, It was! Something happened one day, I remember everything about it but then – a blank spot. Nothing. A few minutes that passed and I can't remember. And I just know it was that mudblood – I know it!"

There was a silence between us. She was breathing shakily, the sobs still present even though they weren't as profound as before. My hands shook and I clenched them into fists. _She didn't… she couldn't have known… none of the Slytherins knew. _

"And then… I saw you kiss It." her voice wavered with disgust and shock. "You didn't see me around the corner. You were laughing with It, you were-"

I whipped my hand through the air and grasped her arm. _"Shut up!"_ I hissed as she gasped in shock. "If you dare speak to anyone about this, Pansy Parkinson, then I swear I'll-"

She rapidly shook her head. "No! I wouldn't! Never! I haven't." The tears sprouted from the corners of her eyes again as she pleaded with me. "Draco, I promise! I-"

I quickly released her and backed away, breathing heavily, tucking my hands beneath my arms and squeezing my eyes shut. Pansy's voice quivered when she slowly spoke again. "I-I'm sorry… Draco, please… forgive me."

I opened my eyes, but she was already rushing from the room. Before I could call her name, she was out the door. I cursed, and pounded my fist against the wall. _What the hell was that?! _I grit my teeth together, the moment flashing through my mind, over and over. _I just assaulted a girl… and not just any girl; Pansy Parkinson. No good can come of this. _I imagined what would happen if either of the families found out. _Father would have hit me for that. _I rather felt like hitting myself. Angrily, I pushed myself from the wall and listened to the silent, empty room.

_What's happening to me?_

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Ryuu

"Err, Ryuu?"

I looked up from my daydream. The room vibrated with the sound of spell casting around me. After the attack, many people had decided to improve their battle skills. So many lives had been lost. It still came as a fresh shock to look around and notice that people were missing, like an incomplete puzzle.

Ron smiled uncertainly and sat down next to me on the step. His rooster red hair was standing up from the shocking jinx that Hermione had used on him during practise. I pulled the Slytherin tie from its twists around my fingers and met his eyes. "Yes?"

"Listen, I wanted to apologise. About what I said the other night." The sentence was rushed but steady. He was clearly sincere, but there were other emotions mingled within it too. _Regret? Guilt? No, _I realised with annoyance._ Pity._

"What?" I asked.

"Well," he continued, "when I said that you were acting like 'one of them'. I was way out of line, and… I'm sorry."

I straightened and looked at him directly. "It's fine."

He didn't look convinced. Instead, he took on a softer tone of voice. "Ryuu… I just wanted to say… because you know it's okay to-"

"Leave me alone!" I snapped, springing to my feet. Several people stopped practising and gawked at me. I composed myself, returning their glares and bent my fingers into my palms, breathing deeply. I looked down at Ron's startled face and forced myself to sound calm. " I'm fine. I'm going for a walk. I'll see you later."

I didn't wait for him to reply and stalked out of the room. My hair fell into my eyes as I rushed down the stairs and made a sharp left towards the Prefect's Dormitories. Ever since I had stumbled into that hospital carrying Luna, many of the people in the castle had assumed that I was broken beyond repair. I'd even overheard some people saying that I'd 'lost my way', or that I 'must feel distraught.'

Dumbledore had even seen it appropriate that I be rewarded for heroism. I didn't understand this. I'm pretty sure that if anyone's friend had been attacked, they'd have done the same. Nevertheless, I had been upgraded to the Sphinx Squad, which included Harry Ron and Hermione. Lately, the three of them had been giving me concerned glances and awkward greetings, as if I would fall to pieces if the breeze was too strong. I understood that they were trying to help me, but that wasn't how I coped with grief.

I scowled as I passed a suit of armour that was polishing his shield. Yes, Luna's death was the worst experience of my life… _so far._ This war is far from over. And although I mourned my sister every day – every minute - I knew what I had to do.

_I will not hesitate. _

"Help! Oh please somebody help!"

I stopped, and jabbed my wand at the empty corridor around me. It was a side passage, one that was rarely used. A statue of a hump-backed witch was to the left of me, and a large stain glass window to my right. "Show yourself!" I ordered. There was no response. _Great. Now I'm hearing voices. _After taking one last glance around the corridor,I began to walk onwards.

"Wait, Miss! Help! Please!"

I spun around on my heel and glanced around the area again. Underneath the statue of the witch was a small gap between the floor and her feet. Occupying the cramped space was a whimpering house elf with bug-like marigold coloured eyes.

_What the-? All the elves are supposed to be in the kitchens! _I directed my wand towards it. "Name your Master!" I demanded.

"Tibbli does not know, Miss! One minute Tibbli was serving her family – then the next; Dobby brought her here, Miss!" The elf's voice was high pitched and annoying, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. "But, when Dobby left, Tibbli stumbled and fell down here, Miss! Tibbli is _very_ clumsy, Miss! And from then on, Tibbli has been stuck!"

My eyes narrowed. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Tibbli wept. "Please Miss! Tibbli has only ever lied once, Miss! Tibbli just wants to get out of here, Miss."

I sighed. The elf did look quite helpless. I slowly lowered my wand and walked towards her. "Alright then. But stop with the Miss stuff. And stay still."

The elf grinned. "Oh, thank you Mi-Err… Tibbli is forever grateful!"

I inspected the elf's position. Her small frame was wedged in between the stone surfaces in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable manner. I shivered at the thought of being compressed like that for days. I tapped the statue with my wand and said _"Depulso."_

It was thrust backwards a few inches, and collided harshly with the wall behind it. I could've sworn that I heard the witch bark an insult at me, but it was lost in the shrieks of delight that Tibbli made as she scurried out from the gap. I looked down through the hole in the floor. I could barely see anything. _Still, _I thought, _it's hollow. Which means it's a way into the castle. _

I quickly levitated the statue back on top of the gap and turned to the elf. "Well, you're welcome." I said awkwardly, before continuing back along the hallway.

"But, wait! Tibbli is immensely grateful to you!" her eyes were gleaming. "And Tibbli must repay you… Madam."

"No really, its fine, you should go and find Harry Potter."

I turned a corner and looked down in surprise to see the elf at my side, following me with a rushing pace. I stopped suddenly and she toppled over on the ground, and then quickly turned to face me, her large ears pricking up. "Tibbli must at least tidy Madam's room." she hastened to stand in front of me. "It is only polite."

I smirked. _It would be nice for someone to clean my room for me… _I thought, thinking of the little effort I'd given into putting my clothes away and making my bed. _Besides, she does owe me something. I did save her life. _A little voice in my head whispered, _exploitation,_ but I shoved it aside. It was more like paying a debt, really. "Alright. You can clean my room if you _really_ have to. But, after that, you should find Harry."

Tibbli nodded, yellow eyes positively glowing with eagerness. "Yes, Madam!"

There was barely anyone walking around at this time of day. Most people were either enjoying lunch in the Great Hall or training in the many empty classrooms that lined the corridors. We passed the Bloody Baron on the way to my dormitories, and he cruelly went out of his way to pass through me. He'd had a grudge against me since first year when I had naively asked him why he was stained with blood.

When I entered my room, Dusk sprang through the air towards Tibbli and landed directly in front of her. The elf nervously stared at the cat, and Dusk purred as he circled her. After deliberating whether he would accept the new presence or not, Dusk came over to me and demanded attention. I tenderly stroked his ears as Tibbli bustled around the room, preening my shelves and folding my clothes. I stretched my feet out in front of me and relaxed next to the fireplace. It was nice to know that I didn't have to clean up the room myself for a change. When the elf had finished, I spoke up. "Thank you, Tibbli. I really appreciate it."

"Madam does not need to be grateful," Tibbli replied as she walked towards the door. "Tibbli is happy to serve her Madam."

I smiled as the elf left, and Dusk nudged my chin with the top of his head. Slightly amused, I looked down at him. "Jealous are we?" I asked out of interest. The cat's eyes narrowed and he made a soft _meow._ I shook my head and scoffed. "I think I talk to you too much."

I could've sworn that Dusk performed a Lupin-sideways-nod.

The small burst of cordial happiness began to fade and the shadow that had resided over me for the past few days returned in a blink. I stared into the emerald flames, a familiar pain welling in my chest. _It's my fault. _Images continued to cascade through my head. Half finished conversations, things I hadn't had the chance to ask and never would. The river that flowed near her house, where she'd told me she missed her mother. A little blonde girl with a cork necklace. The flash of red light. The streak of purple from my paralysis jinx. A paralysis jinx. The unknown Death Eater who'd killed Luna – I'd attacked him with a _paralysis jinx._

"It's not enough." I said to the empty room, and Dusk squirmed in my lap. "Not nearly enough."

_I will not hesitate._

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"Ryuu!" I barely had time to turn before Dennis was in front of me. I could see the Great Hall behind him, and wondered where he had come from. I had just come down to look for him, but must have missed him in the crowd. He was breathing shallowly and his eyes were wide and frightened. "Ryuu –Ryuu, I don't know what to do!"

"Whoa Dennis!" I placed my hand on his shoulder while he regained his breath. "Slow down, okay?" His eyelids fluttered and he looked down at the ground. "What's going on?" I asked.

He looked up at me, his lip trembling. "It's Zach," he said quietly, "he's gone."

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was floating._

_Her mother had only left her alone for a few minutes while she went to prepare the baby food, yet here the girl was – in mid air. She didn't know how she'd done it. She simply knew that she wanted to touch it. The mobile. The spinning thing that was taunting her by being just out of reach. _

_So she'd floated up to it. _

_She reached out with her chubby fingers to play with the things that hung off it. A soft blue crescent moon, a rubber-duck-yellow stuffed star, and an deep red sun made out of felt. The girl touched the stars with her hands, and giggled in the way babies do._

_But now that she had it, she didn't want the toy anymore. She pouted as she safely sank back down to the comfortable nest of pillows in the centre of the crib. Mummy had thought that because of the cage around the bed, the girl wouldn't be able to escape._

_Silly Mummy, thought the girl. _

_It was then that the mother returned with the baby food, and all recollection of floating three feet above the ground fell from the girl's head, never to return._

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A/N: Oh Zach. I can strongly relate to my version of Zach; personality wise. But gosh he can be an idiot sometimes.


	29. Chapter 7 - Eye Of The Dragon

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while, my Beta – real life Reeah Noseworthy – was in a car accident. What a muggle. Don't worry she's okay, walking and talking. Her car is wrecked though. It's last valiant effort was saving her life. Best wishes for her recovery though. Anyway, thank you once again Guest101 for your compliments, I got a bit emotional with the flashback as well. And in comment: I really worry about Pansy. I'm not even fully certain what she would or wouldn't do – but; if she has one redeeming quality; it's that her loyalty remains perversely with Draco. *Phew.* Hope you enjoy this chapter!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 7 – Eye Of The Dragon

Ryuu

Although Dennis and I had searched the castle and its grounds for hours, we still hadn't been able to find Zach anywhere. We'd asked several people whether they'd seen him. Ernie McMillan had told Dennis that the last time he'd seen Zach was just after the First Raid. This didn't help us in the slightest. _But to be fair,_ I thought angrily, _when has Ernie MacMillan ever helped at all?_ Dennis's younger brother Colin had assisted us for a while. He'd even convinced Mr. and Ms. Creevy to join in. I hadn't realised that the entire Creevy household was here at Hogwarts, but as Mr. Creevy told me, "We weren't just going to wait for them to attack us."

That morning, Dennis was looking particularly depressed as he joined me at breakfast. For several minutes neither of us spoke as we shoved porridge and honey toast down our throats. My energy had been lagging for some time now, and I needed all the strength I could get. When Dennis spoke, he sounded as meek as he used to. "Ryuu, what if- what if something horrible has happened to him?"

I nervously sipped at my pumpkin juice. _I am not cut out for this. _The thought of Zach in danger made me want to throw up, and as soon as Dennis had voiced my fears, all words of reassurance were vanquished from my tongue. I met his desperate stare and sighed. "You know something I've always noticed about Zach?" I began, and Dennis shifted so he could listen to me better over the sounds of the Great Hall. "He's impenetrable. Every time something awful happens, he's simply avoided all harm. I'm mighty jealous." A smile twitched my firm lips. "For someone who acts all tough, he's a master at dodging danger."

I thought back to last year. He'd never received detention with Umbridge. As long as I had known Zach, none of the teachers had ever held grudges against him- with the possible exception of Snape, but he didn't count because he harboured a level of hatred for anything that moved. He'd fallen over plenty of times – even been knocked out of the air in Quidditch matches – and barely a scrape. Nothing seemed to penetrate him. _Well, except of course…_

"-He can be thrown into situations that are dangerous and… _endure._" As I said this, Dennis gave a small laugh. "I don't know where he is. I don't know why he's gone. But somehow, I _know_," I searched for the right phrase. "That he's okay. Heck, he's probably making fun of someone at this very moment." To my utter relief this had cheered Dennis up. Although it was evident that neither of us was entirely convinced, the hope of Zach being alive clouded the reality well enough. For now.

I yawned as I entered the quiet of my room. With a pang of surprise and guilt, I noticed that it had been cleaned again. _Tibbli._ _Why did she come back again? _My thoughts were interrupted by the slight gleam that was reflected from the sheen of a startlingly familiar object resting on my bed.

I stared at the ring as I approached it. A small crack had appeared across the green gem, but it was otherwise normal. It was possible that the elf had found it and placed it here, but- why? Somehow, general politeness on the elf's part wasn't the first thing that came to mind. _Don't be an idiot, Ryuu. Tibbli's never seen this ring before._

"I don't suppose you know how Dragonstones are made?" said a calm voice from behind me.

I jumped and spun around in shock. Hermione was leaning against my doorframe, surveying me through narrowed eyes, arms crossed over her chest. "Hermione! What the _hell_ are you doing here?" I spluttered, hastily hiding the ring behind my back.

She ignored me and stepped further into the flickering light of the fireplace. "When the ice dragons of Norway engage in battle with another dragon, their flames crystallise and form these stones." Her pale skin looked sickly in the green light of my room. She indicated to the hand hiding behind my back, all the while keeping her eyes intently focused on my face. "The colours of the stones can vary depending on the species of dragon the Norwegian Ice-Breath battles with. I assume _yours_ was made from the fire of a Welsh Green, which is rather rare…"

I stared at her with suspicion, wishing very much that she would leave. "Wonderful. Thanks for the lesson, but may I ask why you were waiting behind my door like an assassin?"

She dropped the matter-of-fact look on her face and strolled over to the fireplace where she leant against the stone mantelpiece. Dusk, who was snoozing atop the mantle, awoke and sniffed Hermione's outstretched fingertips with interest. She glanced at me with a softened expression. "I came to find you actually. Ron told me you were upset."

I rolled my eyes. _Why does everyone care about me? _My answer was well rehearsed and flat."I'm fine."

Again she ignored me. "Your cat was pawing around the floor by the fireplace so I went to see what it was." Her chocolate coloured eyes flickered up to mine. "And I thought it quite strange that someone with non-magical parents would possess a magical object as old as the gem in that ring."

I straightened. _She's guessed who gave it to me. But so what? That doesn't mean anything. _I sighed. This confrontation was inevitable and I already had responses planned."Listen Hermione, whatever you want to say- just say it. This could take ages."

Hermione looked slightly taken aback at my words, as if she hadn't expected me to choose the easy road. Her cheeks tinged pink. "Did Malfoy give you that ring?" Her voice was steady, but I could sense the pressure in it.

I made myself look as relaxed as possible before nodding. She shook her head and pushed herself away from the wall. It was then that she did something unexpected. Hermione didn't look at me with anger, but with empathy."Ryuu," her smile was small and barely present. "You did nothing wrong."

I grimaced. I wasn't in the mood to explain that she was lying. It wouldn't help to mope about how guilty I felt. I had too much information stabbing at my mind, slowly poisoning me with each falsely steady breath I took. Luna. Zach. My parents. Tibbli… _Draco._ The name echoed through my skull and the ache began again. Why was this so difficult? I never wanted to talk about this. Not with Hermione. Not with anyone. Not ever.

I turned, holding the ring loosely before me. Hermione held her breath as I walked towards the open window, but I only placed it on the sill. The moon lingered in the bulbous curve of the green gem, making the silvery light look like a dead pupil in an emerald eye. I hissed at the girl behind me. "Get out, please."

But Hermione did not leave. She defiantly walked to my side, refusing to take her gaze off me. "You know you've told me to do that a lot," she laughed a little shakily. I ignored her, forcing my attention to the glittering faraway stars. Her voice was decided as she spoke again. "Ryuu; Malfoy deserved what he got."

I raised my head and allowed her a glance from the corner of my eye. "Do you honestly think that?" I said with pure scorn.

For a few seconds, she appeared doubtful before hastily blinking the expression away. "He _decided_ to join Voldemort, " Hermione answered.

Draco's voice coursed through my ears. _"HE'LL KILL MY WHOLE FAMILY IF I DON'T DO IT!"_ I thought of the look upon my parent's faces when I raise my wand at them.

"No one _decided_ anything, Hermione," I spat venomously. "It all depended on where we were at the time."

Hermione's mouth slackened in horror. "Are you saying that if it weren't for the Order," she gulped, "that you'd- _you'd be a Death Eater?!"_

"It's possible." I muttered, knowing I was lying but didn't care.

"I don't believe you." Hermione said through a clenched jaw. "Ryuu. I know that you may have done some bad things. We all have. But we're doing them for the right reasons." She placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned forwards so that she could see the front of my face. "So don't think like that!"

I pulled away from the window and leaned against the wall. I felt my knees sink as my back slid down the stone and I sat huddled with my knees level with my chin. Hermione knelt down beside me, her hair brushing my knee caps. "Ryuu…" Hermione watched me with concern as I zoned out. "You can't let what happened with Malfoy affect you."

_Can't let it affect me? Whoa, it really is that simple, _I thought in sarcasm _I'll just go ahead and do that. _I wanted her to leave. What she was saying, although a tad comforting, didn't click into the conceptions I'd created – into the things I'd whispered in front of a bathroom mirror to remind myself. Sighing, I cleared my throat and glared at her directly. "That's just it Hermione. That's the difference between you and me." She blinked in confusion and I smoothly elaborated. "While I've lost Draco, you'll always have Ron."

Her face stiffened, as if I'd slapped her. And I may as well have. Her cheeks reddened, whether in embarrassment or frustration was irrelevant. It was her eyes that made me feel the guiltiest. They darted around my face as if desperately searching for the reason behind my words. It was obvious that she was horrified to think that how she felt about Ron was the same way that one of her friends thought about her mortal enemy. It was also a shock that I knew this about her, and she hastily stood, her hands trembling at her side as she paced across the floor and left my room without saying a word.

_Why, Ryuu? Why are you such a prick? _There was a soft thunk in response as I let my head flop against the stone behind me, feeling like I'd just drunk an entire bottle of searing, disorientating Firewhisky.

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Draco

Mother entered, fixing her hair even though it was already perfect. Although the war was still raging on, it was family tradition to have dinner in the Dining Room every night. No disturbances. No exceptions. Just time with my parents while we ate a meal together. It was as simple and expected as the sun rising in the morning and falling in the evening.

The meal was worse than last time. I gnawed at the hard orange lump stabbed by my fork. It hardly tasted like carrot at all, but I didn't complain. Besides, we would be getting more food soon. Mother sat across from me and began to slice her turnip. She had thinned, that much was obvious. Of course, she'd been raised in wealthy conditions, much like my father and I had, but seemed to be handling the malnourishment with less resilience then I had presumed she would.

Father took a draught from his goblet with a quivering grip and began to speak in a croaky voice. He cleared his throat and began again when he realised that neither of us had understood him. "The Snatchers will breach Hogwarts in the early hours of this morning, and be back by sunrise."

This was information that I already knew. No Death Eaters were permitted to go, seeing as we were trained to fight – not to capture. Aunty Bellatrix had been most put out by this, but had taken much time visiting several of the Kennels today.

I swallowed the vegetable, ignoring the dryness of it on my tongue. The Kennels had been manufactured by the Snatchers themselves to hold the captives. Several of them were already placed around the countryside, waiting for their first occupants. If a muggleborn was found, they were to be taken there, submitted to questioning and begin their enslavement. Death Eaters in need of servants would then choose which muggleborns they would take back to their homes.

I glanced around the table, noticing that both my parents appeared to be lost in thought also. My mother soon snapped back to the meal, and straightened herself in her chair. "This is a good thing," she said sombrely.

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Ryuu

The rain lathered my face, my hair, my entire body. I tried to look up at the sky but my eyes were pummelled with cold water. I winced and looked down the alleyway. I could barely see a thing, but I somehow knew exactly where I was. I froze as the figure at my feet shifted, suddenly becoming the clearest thing in sight.

Luna smiled up at me as she bled from the wounds spread over her torso.

I staggered back into a cupboard and the door closed, snapping just in front of my nose. "No!" I panicked, my arms flaying to the sides of the wardrobe, but only thudding against the hard wooden frame_. "NO!"_ The walls were closing in around me, I could feel it. They were suffocating me, compressing my body together, so that I could no longer hear my desperate cries for help. I felt bones break as the timber condensed against my skin, forcing it to tighten. I clawed at my skin, trying to release myself from the bonds that strangled me, but all that came away was blood.

A hand grabbed my own and unexplainably wrenched me through the roof of the cupboard and out into the outside world. I swallowed the air, relishing its taste as I collapsed beside the oak tree and blinked up at the sun that burned my eyes. I lifted a hand to touch it, but suddenly it was gone, and the moon glowed down at me.

I rose onto my feet to see the tiny figure of my mother a few feet away. I let out a strangled choke as my feet dragged towards her. She grinned and called out my name, but I'd forgotten what it was. Just as I reached her, there was a deafening snap, and with a look of horror covering her complexion, her head lolled to the side, her neck now broken.

"You left us behind."

The voice echoed through the area, through me, through everything. I stood there shaking as she fell forward and hit the grass at my feet. What had I done? I looked down, but my mother was lifeless and still. My scream pierced the quiet meadow around me, and suddenly Tibbli flung herself through the door. I crouched on the floor of my room, head tucked under my arm, muttering. I heard the elf slowly approaching.

"Madam?" she whispered in a voice that sounded shockingly like Hermione's. I looked up to see that it was Hermione, but her eyes were a blood red. I tore myself away from their stare, for I knew what that meant – but Voldemort was already laughing in my ear. I sprung to my feet and ran for my tiny window with one intention.

I miraculously managed to twist my body through the gap as the glass smashed at my impact and I fell through the air. I could see the lake speeding up towards me, and I took a deep breath-

-to land in someone's arms.

"Gotcha." Draco muttered slyly as I fumbled in his grip.

He lowered me to the ground and I tugged my hand from his own. He looked at me with a hurt expression. Somewhere in the distance I heard a tinkling sound and an image of the serpent ring hitting the floor pushed itself in front of my eyes. I shook my head to clear it, to find that Draco was still watching me, and I itched to be closer to him, to hold him. Shakily, I reached out and held his hand.

But my own hand was made of knives.

The yell lashed at my lungs and burned my throat as I was violently struck by the unbelievably strong impact of consciousness. I had fallen off my bed, and the stone floor was uncomfortable against the joints in my shoulder. With a harsh grinding sensation I propped myself up into a sitting position and regrettably looked around the room.

My set of drawers had been blasted to smithereens and my clothes littered the ground, the only remains of the explosion. Dusk was shivering from underneath the bed, and I doubted that he would come out for a while. The sheets had been torn and it looked as if the scorch marked curtains hanging from the bedpost had been shot with acid. I could see through the door that the mirror in the bathroom had shattered and I grimaced. _Damn. That's seven years right?_

Feeling a little foolish, I glanced at my hand to see it covered in the usual soft pale skin. My fingers still clutched my wand firmly. That had been the fourth night terror this week. I was sure they weren't nightmares. Everyone had those. But never in my life had I experienced dreams like the ones I'd been having recently. So terrifying. So real.

I squeezed my eyes shut. _As long as I'm awake I can control my subconscious, _I reminded myself. _As long as I'm awake…_

I got to my feet and waved my wand lazily. The clothes strewn across the floor now levitated and migrated across to the wardrobe, folding themselves as they did. I wiped the sweat from my brow as I tickled the curtains and they nervously ruffled at my touch. When they stilled, all evidence of scorch marks and holes had disappeared. I placed my hands on my hips and tutted as I looked at the sheets. They reluctantly lifted into the air and folded themselves into triangles. "Thank you." I said to them, and the sheets shifted, ghost-like in reply.

I sighed as I slid my wand into my pocket. Sleeping with the wand in my hand meant I fired spells around the room as I dreamt, but I couldn't exactly keep it too far away. What if I needed it and couldn't find it? Last night I'd tried stuffing it under my pillow, so my hand rested next to it, but obviously I'd managed to find it while I was dreaming.

I dropped to my knees and peered under the bed. A pair of yellow eyes glinted as I whispered, "Sorry about that. It's all right now. Come on…" After much consideration, Dusk emerged from beneath the mattress and cautiously circled me. I stroked behind his ears, and his liking towards me instantly rekindled. "Just a bad dream." I reassured him as well as myself.

I then stood and carefully entered the bathroom. Shattered glass blanketed the floor. "Oops." I said, _"Winguardium Leviosa."_ The fragments lifted into the air and drifted towards the sink. Once the floor was clear I looked down at the nest of reflective shards. Twenty fragmented Ryuus stared back. "Well, this won't do…" I lifted my wand to repair the mirror.

_DONG._

The faces flinched and the pairs of eyes widened. I flung myself into my room and tore the wardrobe open. As I shoved myself into my armour, the room vibrated around me and I stumbled.

_DONG._

I had finally zipped the jacket up and flipped my wand from my fingers to clutch it in my palm. I spared a glance at Dusk and managed to stupidly spit out "Be safe," before I lurched out the door and into the Prefect's Common Room.

_DONG._

Hermione and Ron were tearing across the room to the doorway. I quickly joined them, and Hermione jumped in alarm as I appeared behind her. "Do you know where Harry is?" she jabbered and I shook my head.

"Dennis? Dennis Creevy?" I spluttered, and my heart plummeted as both of them replied with a curt "No."

_DONG._

We opened the front door and Ron checked the hallway before we ran into it. Suddenly, Harry came spiralling around the corner, and Ron and Hermione each gave a sigh of relief. The castle shook, and the four of us struggled to maintain balance. I pressed myself against the wall until the rumbling stopped and we sped to the left.

"Hey!" I shrieked at the back of their heads until Harry turned around. "The Gryffindor Common Room. Where is it?"

Harry's eyes narrowed, he was about to reply when the roof above us cracked and several pairs of enchanted suits of armour landed in front of me. They charged past Ron and Hermione, who were crammed against the window, scanning the scene below. I joined them and gasped as I looked down.

Hundreds. Thousands. Voldemort's army had definitely increased. Again, they had breached the shields; but this time they had used the brute force of an enormous troll that was dangerously brandishing what looked like the trunk of a pine tree. As I watched, the troll tossed the tree aside as easily as if he had thrown a scrunched up piece of parchment over his shoulder. And then the Death Eaters swarmed. A black plague. It would only be moments before they reached the doors.

A whizzing noise made me snap my head upwards to look at the roof. About thirty of our soldiers flew overhead on brooms and zoomed over the mass of Death Eaters. The full moon silhouetted the small packages they dropped from the air. Instantly, blazing fires erupted from within the Death Eater force, and Ron let out a cheer from beside me.

I pushed off the window sill as a rush of people surged through the hall. All of them were Cats, and most of them were determined. As I assumed that they would swerve around me, I stayed put. But I was wrong. Harry only just managed to grab my hood and pull me towards him on the other side of the corridor before they bowled me over. I shrieked, but it was clear that none of them had noticed me.

Hermione however, wasn't so lucky.

"RON!" she called out as she was swept away with the crowd. She reached out over the tops of their heads, but was too short to make out clearly amongst the dimly lit figures.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled and sprang forward out of his flattened position against the wall.

But the flow of people was already coursing away. I felt the floor wobble beneath me, and sensed what was about to happen. I could see that Harry and Ron were thinking the same thing too. We quickly merged in different directions, and the floor split open. Below, I could see that Professor McGonagall was ruthlessly duelling an auburn haired Death Eater, who had clearly chosen the wrong opponent. Harry was to my left, scrambling over the edge, and I hastily helped him to his feet.

But Ron was on the other side of the gap.

"I'm going to get Hermione!" Ron yelled bravely from the other side. "Ryuu –protect Harry!"

"Gee, thanks Ron!" Harry called back as I flashed a smug smile. Ron winked and sprinted around the corner. Although we were all terrified, our thirst for survival was thudding against our brains and the giddiness of the moment swayed my attention for a few seconds. Then I remembered my first priority.

"We have to go to the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Why – who are you looking for?"

"Dennis. I – he needs me."

Harry nodded. "Ginny might be there too. Let's go."

I didn't question further. We marched towards the corner behind us and peered around the edge. I saw a shadow flicker from the left hand corner of the next corridor, which was a dead end with a locked door standing stubbornly against the wall. "Did you see that?" Harry whispered. I nodded. "Right," he began. "On the count of three. One – two –"

But of course, I went early. _"Aqua Eructo!" _I spat, pointing my wand into the place where the darkness shifted. There was a yelp, and a tall figure was blasted against the corner by a thunderous stream of water that projected from the tip of my wand.

"_Glacius!" _Harry burst out from behind me. The water froze over the Death Eater's body and although he flayed his legs about and screamed, he couldn't move.

"Still a cheater huh?" Harry muttered with a slight grin. "Just like old times."

We hurried forwards, not even sparing a glance towards our struggling, frozen victim."It's not cheating if you win."

Harry shook his head as we stopped in front of the door. "Yes it is, that- doesn't even make sense."

I quickly disabled the lock and flung the door open with such force it nearly burst off its hinges. Golden lightning shot from next to me, but Harry deflected it with a shield and sent the attacker spiralling into a broom cupboard. Harry then tripped over a body at our feet and I hexed another Death Eater that was approaching from our left.

"You know," Harry gasped as he leapt to his feet and we sprinted through and empty classroom. "We make quite a good team."

I flexed my wand hand and he did the same as we caught our breath. "We should fight crime." I sneered.

Harry opened the door this time, and we turned to run up a staircase on our right. Sir Cadogan was galloping along on a donkey through the portraits beside us, but instead of screaming battle cheers, his bravery had ebbed away and he was telling us to run for our lives. Harry thrust out an arm at a corner just as I was about to charge onwards and a green flash sped past the front of my face, missing me by inches. I flicked my wand around the corner, muttered a paralysis jinx and heard it make contact with a sudden zap. We glanced at the fallen Death Eater and then continued forwards, jogging up another flight of stairs.

Peeves the poltergeist came into view, and was throwing exploding crackers at a rather angry, large figure. I gasped as I recognised the creature to be a werewolf. Great, hulking shoulders, grey shaggy fur matted with dark stains that could only be blood. It was facing away from us, but could turn around at any moment. Harry and I scuttled into the shadows and waited in shocked silence. There were several bangs from the crackers and Peeve's teasing tone. "Doggy wants to go for _walkies_! C'mon Doggy! You can't hurt Peevesy!" The werewolf howled and I felt Harry stiffen beside me. It had sounded very close.

I anxiously raised my wand to point to the empty space in front of us. At any moment the werewolf could walk around the pillar we were hiding behind and see us. The sound of miniature explosions had stopped. Peeves could no longer be heard, and I assumed that he had whizzed away to another area in the castle. Harry glanced at me with a worried expression, and his eyes widened as we heard a growl a few feet away.

Slowly the towering figure of the werewolf walked out in front of us. I held my breath. It was facing the other direction. I dared not move, in case I made a slight sound, or any other indication of my presence. But surely it could already hear my heart beating like a hammer against my chest? At the moment, I barely noticed Harry, even though I could feel him beside me. It was just me and the wolf. I waited in terror.

From its jaw hung a strand of crimson mucus. Its eyes were a watery blue, almost sickeningly pleasant in its pointed face. The wolf's jaw was heavy and twisted into a snarl as it growled. It stood on two legs, which was rather disorientating, and it leaned forward so that its nose could twitch as it sniffed the air. _This is it. _I gripped my wand tighter. _It's going to smell us._

However, to my utter relief and shock, the werewolf howled and continued down the steps, running out of sight. I realised that I wasn't breathing and took a deep breath. I could see that Harry was doing the same. "Must've smelt something stronger." Harry muttered, his glasses at the edge of his nose.

A sudden thought struck me. "Harry, was that- Professor Lupin?"

He looked at me in disbelief. "No! Gosh no!" he pushed his glasses back into position again and a loose grin hung on his mouth. "No, I've seen Lupin before. He looks very different. But I might just tell him you said that…"

I nudged him hard in the ribs and we quickly pocketed the horrifying moment, and turned our minds back to the main agenda. Once I felt my legs again, we hurried up the rest of the staircase and turned right to go down a long, narrow passage. I kept my head straight and averted my eyes from the limp figures that lined the side of the corridor. I heard Harry cough from just behind me and could tell that he was thinking the same thing as me. Most of the bodies bore Hogwarts ties.

I squeezed my eyes shut. _I will not hesitate. _

We rounded a corner to confront an unpleasant surprise. A weedy man with steel front teeth looked up at our entry. He had been rummaging through the bodies of the fallen that lay around him and quickly released the lifeless hand of a young girl who couldn't have been older than me. I raised my wand, but he was too quick.

It flashed through the air almost as quickly as my attacker flashed a delighted smile. For a few seconds I didn't notice the pain, until I glanced down to see the gleaming silver hilt of a knife imbedded in my left thigh. _"Expelliarmus!"_ the man's voice was hoarse. My wand slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor a few feet in front of me as I fell to my knees. As soon as my left knee made a crunching contact with the stone floor, pain whipped across the wound and I cried out in shock.

Harry and the man began duelling ruthlessly, but I was barely able to absorb my surroundings. My eyes kept focusing and un-focusing upon the metallic rope that swung from the Death Eater's belt. _That's odd. Why would he need that? _But the thought was wiped from my mind as another shot of pain raced through my leg. I was on the floor now. My cheek scraped against the coarse stone. The ringing in my ears cleared and I realised that the Death Eater was talking.

"Well, look 'oo it is. 'Arry Poh-ah." I raised my head to see what was happening. Harry was slammed against the wall, wandless and with the man's hand clenched around his throat. Clearly, weedy and gangly though he was, the Death Eater was far stronger than he appeared. Harry kicked and struggled against him, but the Death Eater's grip didn't falter.

_I have to do something. _The thought whispered among all the others in my head. _But why? _Another contradicted, _You're dying anyway. Might as well come to terms with that._

"Sorry about killin thah little friend o' yours." He said, tilting his head towards where I lay –apparently dead. The man sneered. He didn't look apologetic at all. "I actually didn't _mean _to do it, see. Not meant to be killin 'em. Meant to be Snatchin 'em."

Harry flung a harsh kick at him, but he jumped backwards out of the way. This made his hand loosen a bit from Harry's neck and he gasped for breath, attacking the Death Eater again. But the adult easily overpowered the teenager, and although Harry tried, the man didn't let him attack again. "Buh you know wha? Maybe I'll just kill you meself." The man grinned. "Noone'd know, eh?"

I stretched my arm towards my wand. _No. I need to help him. _My entire body protested as I dragged myself closer to the weapon - which was only just out of reach…

The man sneered as he jabbed his wand against Harry's neck. "Well…" I felt the light touch of the handle against my fingertips and winced in pain as the knife twisted in my leg. "So long, Poh-ah." He took a deep breath and a blinding flash of green light obscured all my senses.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was mesmerised._

_The glass looked normal enough, but it was clear that the girl could see another universe through it. A land where everything was much the same, except backwards. The room was painted on the glass in front of her, as it was also dwelling behind her back. She smiled at the girl in the mirror, laughing in synchronisation with her reflective twin. _

"_Hello there," the girl whispered to the one behind the glass. _

_Her reflection seemed to be mocking her by speaking at exactly the same moment the blonde girl did. The girls raised a hand and pressed it against the barrier. _

_Now this is strange, the girl thought, as she wiggled her nose at the glass. Again, the other girl copied her movements and the girl scowled – a remarkably mature gesture for such a small child._

"_Humph," she scolded. "Now that's just stupid."_

_The girl in the glass stared back angrily._

"_Well, you can't do everything I do!" the girl complained and sighed as her twin mouthed the words along with her. The child gestured towards the parallel world her green eyes flashing brighter than a curse._

"_You've got all these things around you – and you're talking to me?! And being annoying…" _

_The reflection rolled her eyes and edged away from the mirror. The girl gave a slight wave before turning her back and skipping out of the room; knowing full well that the other girl had never existed, and that she had only spoken to her out of sheer boredom anyway._

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A/N: Whoa, hectic cliff-hanger.


	30. Chapter 8 - Poison

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Thanks Deanne Ravenwing for your lovely words of praise. Now for the next chapter – hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is one of my favourites.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 8 – Poison

Ryuu

He died.

The sun had just peeked over the horizon and began to ignite upon the castle when he fell to the ground, limp and hollow. The wand he'd been holding against Harry's throat rolled from his fingertips and circled over the ground. It was clear from the shocked look on his face that he hadn't even spared a thought about the bleeding girl who was grounded a few feet away. He hadn't suspected that I'd even survived the blade that was stinging so much I knew it must have punctured an artery. But I was still here. Still alive.

Alive enough to kill him.

Harry stumbled from the wall and looked down upon the man, his jaw hanging open. After a few seconds of dawning comprehension he dragged his eyes over to where I was positioned, half of my body sitting bolt upright, still clutching the wand and pointing it where the Death Eater had been standing. My eyes stung from not blinking as Harry cautiously approached and knelt down beside me.

"…Ryuu?" he said uncertainly.

I didn't answer; I was breathing in shaky gasps and still hadn't torn my eyes from the thin air above my dead victim.

"Ryuu… you can put the wand down now…"

My shoulders shook as I felt my hands loosen and my wand fell to rest in front of my knees. My arms jerked back to life and lowered themselves to a normal angle. I finally managed to blink, and my head began to clear. _I just killed him. He's dead, and I just killed him. Me. Ryuu. _Harry swore from beside me and I snapped back to reality. He was looking down at my leg, and I suddenly realised why.

The knife was still imbedded in my flesh, but it had moved several inches outwards, a result from dragging myself towards my wand. Blood was feely gushing from the gash in a waterfall. The blade had ripped the fabric in my pants and as I numbly tore most of it away from the wound I gasped. The skin surrounding the cut had changed colour to an icy blue, and was like flames to the touch.

My fingertips lightly sprang to the hilt of the knife and closed around it. Harry grabbed my wrist and shook his head, but I ignored him and ripped the knife upwards. I felt the steel grating against bone, muscle and flesh and I shrieked in pain. It felt like I'd just vigorously scraped sandpaper inside the wound and then dunked it into a bucket of ice water. My vision swayed so that I saw two knives in my bloody hand as Harry hastily pulled his Gryffindor tie off from beside me.

"Sorry about this," he said through gritted teeth as he tightened it over my leg. I whimpered and bit down on my lip. Already, blood was soaking the gold stripes of the tie and melding into the crimson areas.

The world around me dulled with a piercing high pitched sound, which raged against my eardrums for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. It took me several delayed moments to realise that Harry was speaking to me urgently. "I'll take you to the Hospital Wing; Madam Pomphrey will know what to do." His face looked far away and blurry. I looked down at the wound in my leg again, which felt like it was being gnawed at. _Poison, _I realised absently.

"No." It felt like the first word I had said in years, and I was relieved to hear that it sounded like my normal voice. "No, Harry. That won't help. This knife…" I held it up in front of his face so quickly, that he backed away a few inches for his own safety. "It must be poisoned. Snape. I need Snape. Take me to Snape."

Harry nodded and hoisted me into a standing position. My leg seared, but I only grunted as assent to the pain. Harry pressed my wand into my palm and slung one of my arms over his shoulder. I clumsily slid the knife into one of the loops in my belt as we staggered down the hall, stepping over the body of the Death Eater, who still stared at me in shock.

It seemed years before we reached the Dungeons. It wasn't that the castle was still in mayhem, far from it in fact. The attack seemed to have vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Some Cats were still jogging through the corridors, but no Death Eaters or werewolves were in sight. The place was a wreck. There seemed to be a lot more damage to the building then there had been last time. Black flamed fires whispered in the corners of corridors and demolished walls let the pink sunlight spill into my eyes. Harry struggled to keep me walking, because my injured leg quickly went completely numb and shocked me with sharp stabbing pains that burned with cold at random intervals.

Eventually we reached the dark open spaces of the underground caverns. There was less debris coating the ground here, so it was easier for me to limp along, leaning against Harry, who grunted as I accidently elbowed him in the stomach. We raised our wands higher as we searched the tunnels for any signs of greasy hair or a hooked nose."What makes you think he'd be down here?" Harry whispered, steadying himself for an attack. "I mean, I know Snape is the kind of guy that likes to curl up in dark, silent places to shed his skin-"

"-As much as I enjoyed that description," I interjected with a shudder as I had the fleeting image of the top of Snape's head splitting open to let free another slithering Snape, still dressed entirely in his constant black robes. "The Dungeons are full of medicine." I began irritably, although I winced as a fresh wave of pain coursed through my leg. "The raid seems to be over, so the Hospital will need as much supplies as it can get. Of course they'd send Snape down here – he practically lives in this horrid place."

"Thank you, Miss Veil. Once again your deductive reasoning is a delight to witness," interjected a silky voice from behind us.

Harry jumped and I moaned as I slid down his side. He quickly dragged me up again, so that my cheek was level with his shoulder as we turned to face Snape. He looked down at us with his abyss-like eyes and sneered at Harry. He glared at him as if at any moment he would unhinge his jaw and finish Harry off. His attention flickered to me, quickly absorbed my dilapidated state and he spoke. "Always the _hero_, Potter. Swaggering about with an injured damsel in tow, for all to see."

I groaned as Harry flushed in hatred. _I don't have the patience or endurance for this…_ "_Professor."_ I growled. "I don't suppose you could spare the time to treat a deadly poison that's infecting me?" I coughed, and made my tone flat. "Seeing as I'm a mere _damsel_, I simply can't stand up straight."

Snape's face displayed a slight change – _surprise?_ - and he flicked his wrist. "Follow," Snape ordered, before marching to his immediate left and into a large room.

A stone table sat stubbornly in the centre and towering ebony shelves reached all the way from the floor to the ceiling on the enclosing walls. Upon the shelves were a number of disgusting things in jars that wriggled uncontrollably. To the right of me was what looked like a Cornish-pixie shaped pincushion, until I noticed how life-like it was, and turned away. Thick sickly green candles floated a few feet above us, illuminating the room in a crisp white glow that reminded me of hospital lighting. An enchanted hatstand sidled nervously towards the door as Snape swept across the room, his hands caressing the bottles and cauldrons that laced the walls. Harry and I leaned awkwardly against the doorway until Snape turned around and sneered at us. "Place Miss Veil on the table Potter." He grumbled.

I could tell that Harry was fuming as he dragged me towards the stone surface and assisted me upon it. The table was cold and I shivered as I swung my legs over the side so that I could see the injury better. The tie was completely red now, and I winced as the pain increased, this time feeling like my entire leg was being compressed under a horse's hoof.

Snape stared at me as he slid the tie from the wound and tossed it aside. There was a heavy silence as he inspected the gouge with small blank eyes. The skin had changed colour to a deep purple that diluted to a sickly lemon yellow. "What curse did this?"

I pulled the knife from my belt, being careful only to touch the hilt. "I think the blade is poisoned."

Snape flicked his wand at my hand and the knife drifted through the air. He studied it as it levitated and then released a harsh and sudden sniff that reminded me so instantly of Reeah Noseworthy. I stifled the random need to laugh as he carefully lowered the knife onto the table next to me.

"I haven't seen this _particular_ poison for many years," Snape began smoothly. "Harpy saliva mixed with the venom from a baby Actomantula's sting… very _lethal."_ It was difficult to tell whether or not he was disgusted or sadistically intrigued.

"Well why don't you get started then?" Harry snapped.

Snape threw him a glare that dripped loathing. "Last I checked _Potter_… I was the Potions Master."

I could see that Harry was about to protest and interrupted him. "Enough!" I yelled. "Last I checked; _I_ was the one dying!" I glanced at both of them as if I was scolding small children.

Snape, still not taking his eyes off Harry, slid his wand from his sleeve and with a spark of orange light a fire began cackling beneath a cauldron on the bench beside him. He reached up to the topmost shelf, blew dust from the lid of an abnormally large bulbous bottle and poured its liquorice coloured contents into the now sizzling cauldron. I turned my head to Harry, who had lowered his gaze to my leg.

"You should go… Ron and Hermione. You've got friends out there-"

"-I've got friends in here too." Harry said quickly, as he stationed himself by my side.

I grinned slightly, feeling myself blush. "Good, because I didn't mean it. I just thought it would be polite."

Harry made a small laugh that Snape took as a direct insult against his person and hissed for quiet. He was now grinding a pink powder with an orchid-purple crystal. The area around the cut began to tingle and I gingerly reached out to touch it. Without removing his pinprick gaze from his work, Snape slapped my hand away rather roughly and I pouted. He poured the pink substance into the cauldron and it emitted a ghastly smell that reminded me of rotten eggs. "This process will not be enjoyable, Miss Veil." Snape warned as he stirred the cauldron with a wave of his wand. "Some of the people I have treated with this remedy… _unfortunately_ lost their infected limb."

I froze, panic flooding me. _"What?"_

"Not to worry," Snape continued, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards ever so slightly. "I have complete confidence in you, Miss Veil."

My leg was now twitching uncontrollably. I watched in horror, my mouth lagging slightly. Snape peered over the rim of the cauldron with his large nose and, if possible, frowned even more. He muttered something about a bezoar and grabbed at a small, crumpled looking stone that was in a shelf below his left arm. The cauldron hissed when the stone was added, and smoke the colour of a polar bear puffed out from it in large rings.

"I suggest you prepare yourself." Snape said absent-mindedly. "This will not be pleasant to witness." And without further ado, he ladled a large dollop of the potion from the cauldron and poured it onto my leg.

I screamed, and then shoved my fist in my mouth to stop myself. All feeling in my leg had returned, and with an agonising fury that ripped at my body. Pain. Relentless. Unbearable pain that dulled my senses, and made everything else seem distant, detached. I felt Harry grab my shoulder from where he stood, and say something but I couldn't make it out. I watched in sickening amazement as a thin strand of acid green liquid that bubbled was being vertically pulled from the cut by Snape's wand, like a seamstress would pull thread.

Then, the pain stopped. I stared in wonder. The substance was still lathered over the gouge, but all feeling had disappeared. "Well done, Miss Veil." Snape said.

"Is it over?" I choked.

He looked at me with slight amusement. "No. That was the first step. We will begin the second dose in a minute. There is still too much poison in your system." He turned back to the cauldron again. "The next time it will be worse. Most patients find it easier to distract themselves from the immediate… _displeasure._"

Harry nudged my shoulder and I turned to him. He smiled at me weakly. "So, um… how is it?" he gestured towards my leg.

I raised my eyebrows and grunted through a set jaw. _"Spiffing."_

"Potter." Snape barked from behind the smoke. "Do something _useful,_ and steer Miss Veil's attention towards a… _happier_ subject." He said this as if the thought of happiness was a contagious disease that he detested.

Harry scowled at him and looked at me, with struggle. "Err…"

"What's it like being a Gryffindor?" I burst.

He looked taken aback. "What do you mean?"

I pressed my lips together and clutched the edges of the stone as Snape dunked the ladle in the cauldron. "I dunno, just say anything."

Harry's eyes flickered fleetingly to the ladle which was now drifting above my leg. I tore myself away from looking at it and focused only on Harry's face. "Well," he said quickly. "It's… good."

The potion made contact with my leg and I scrunched my eyes shut as the pain increased. It _was_ worse than the last time. My thigh felt like it was on fire, white hot flames might as well have been searing across my flesh. For some insane reason, I was convinced that small, prickly spiders were under my skin and twitched, lifting a hand to scratch at my neck. Quick as a viper, Snape slapped my hand away again and Harry quickly grabbed my fingers, pressing his hand against my own. I opened my eyes to look at Harry again. The world seemed to be tinged lilac and I knew I was hallucinating. "What- is the Common Room like?" I spluttered.

Harry gripped my arm. "Great. Yeah, it's got a nice big fireplace and a cosy lounge…" he trailed off, thinking of what else to say. "It looks a lot different from the Slytherin Common Room though…"

I narrowed my eyes as another wave of burning pain rushed through me. "How would _you_ know what the Slytherin Common Room looks like?"

Harry paused, glancing at Snape who also appeared quite interested in what Harry was saying. "I'll… tell you later."

The pain stopped again with a defiant throb in my leg, and Snape grimaced down at the gash. "That's gotten rid of _most_ of it…" he said coolly. "One more _should_ suffice."

I grimaced and gripped the stone harder. Harry had gone silent so I started the conversation again, rather bluntly. "Now, you should ask me about my home life." I muttered slyly.

"Oh- right." He stumbled, looking away from my wound which I refused to let myself see. "So… you live in London right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. In an apartment. It's nearly always clean, because there's usually only two people living there at a time." When Harry looked puzzled, I explained. "My parents work a lot."

_Slop. _The mixture was poured over my cut again and I winced. The pain wasn't as bad as last time, but still made me want to cry. My skin felt rough, like someone had dragged a cheese grater over it. Sharp stabs of heat danced across my leg like a white hot poker, making me flinch. Harry kept talking. "Where does your Dad work?" he asked quickly.

I stared at him, forcing myself to only look at him and not the gash. "Well, everywhere. He travels the world as a photographer." I grimaced when something in my leg snapped like a twig. "You know those annoying backgrounds on the desktops of computers? The ones of beautiful scenery?" Harry nodded, and I smiled. "Ever seen the one of Mt. Fuji? It's like a big mountain and-"

"-And everything is tinged blue?" Harry added.

I nodded. "Yeah, my Dad took that." Talking helped. "He does a lot of that stuff. Scenery shots. But also photos with models and events – pretty much anything he can point a camera at."

Harry smiled politely, and I couldn't help but feel better. I knew it was a bad habit, but I often found myself boasting about my father. "That's a good picture," Harry said thoughtfully as he glanced down at the potion in concern.

Pain punched me in the wound and I choked on the sentence that was just leaving my lips. "He took that Fuji picture the day I was born. He was in Japan at the time, because I was an early birth." Harry was listening politely. "But he named me over the phone. That's why my name's foreign. It's the Japanese word for dragon." I dug my fingernails into the stone. The pain was beginning to ebb away, but I still didn't look at my leg. The prospect was frightening.

"Dragon, huh?" Harry said from beside me. "It suits you."

I narrowed my eyes. _"…How?"_

Harry had quickly realised his mistake in comparing me to a savage, man-eating, fire-breathing reptile and quickly searched for the right thing to say. "Oh- well." He coughed. "Terrifying but dazzling… and menacing but intelligent," He finished uncertainly. "That's a dragon."

"Hmm…" I thought out loud. "Dazzling, huh? I like that one."

My mind was so wrapped in his words that I only noticed then that the pain had ceased. I spared a peek at my leg to see that the skin around the cut was back to its usual deathly pale, and the wound itself had lessened in depth and severity. Snape looked rather pleased with himself and conjured up some bandages to cover the scratch. Once my leg was bound, he fixed both of us in his gaze.

"Anything else?" Snape asked in a voice that clearly demonstrated we'd wasted his time and he was peeved about it.

Harry shook his head and I hopped down from the table. There was a slight buzzing feeling when I put pressure on my left leg, but besides from that I felt fine. I turned back to look at Snape. "Well, thank you Professor." I managed awkwardly. "For…saving me."

Snape obviously hadn't been expecting this; because he had his back turned and was packing his equipment away. Not knowing whether he'd heard me or not; and not willing to wait and find out, I turned and left the room, just missing the quick glance that Snape threw over his shoulder as I closed the door.

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_Murderer._

I tightened my fists as I walked back into the Great Hall, Harry at my side. The word seemed branded into my mind, printed behind my eyelids. _I am a murderer._

"I never got to thank you."

_For murder._

I glanced at Harry from the corner of my eye. He was looking at me extremely awkwardly. "You saved my life." he concluded.

There were so many things I was itching to say. How I couldn't believe what I had done. How I'd never known that man's name. The feeling that told me that I knew I would have done it again, and how that must make me horrible. The image of the man's face pressed firmly against my thoughts. How I didn't want to be a hero. I didn't want to do this. How I couldn't stand being alone with myself anymore, when I had lived that way for so long. How I didn't even want to think about anything right now. How for ages, I'd felt like I'd been infected with a poison that was slowly eating away at my insides – at my reasoning, my doubt; at all the things that made me human. But I didn't tell him these things. I never told anyone these things. Instead, I said two pitifully weak words that hardly impacted the air around them when I spoke.

"You're welcome."

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_CRASH._

I tightened the hold I had over my wand as another sound emanated from the end of the Prefect's Common Room. It was deserted, because everyone else was shakily seated in the Great Hall having a late and deathly silent dinner. The tension had been too tedious for me to endure, so I had decided to have an early night's sleep.

_THUD._

I swung my head towards the source. That sound had definitely come from the Gryffindor Dormitories. I ducked around the glass middle table and slid behind the startlingly large fireplace, listening. It was dark, but I dared not light my wand to fight the gloom. That would attract direct attention to me, and I was pretty sure that there was still a Death Eater in the castle.

_BANG._

I peered around to look at the Gryffindor door. It was hanging open, and I could see the staircase leading up to it. It was illuminated with a faint golden glow. _Whoever this Death Eater is, they're not being careful. _

_SHATTER._

I crept out from my hiding place, wand pointing in front of me, and silently slunk towards the door. There were more loud thuds from above, but this time, more distinct. _Footsteps. _They were heavy, so the person was either very tall, or very large. _Or, _I thought rapidly, _very angry. _

_CRASH!_

I climbed the stairs, never letting my eyes leave the top of the staircase; the little alcove that divided the two rooms. If it had the same layout as the Slytherin's bedrooms, then Hermione's was on the left and Ron's on the right. The golden light sparkled from the right side and as I looked closer, I saw it bursting through the cracks in the closed door. I hid in the darkness, taking deep breaths.

_BANG, BANG, BANG!_

_Okay Ryuu, you need to burst in there and attack immediately. You will not hesitate. _

But as I pounced towards the door, it shattered and I staggered, clumsily sliding down the door frame. I quickly took in the layout of the area. Ron's room was identical to my own, except backwards and maroon and gold. I knew this layout. _I've already got an advantage. _I then sprang to my feet, stabbing my wand towards my opponent.

But to my shock, I was not facing a Death Eater, but the owner of the room himself. "Ron?!" I proclaimed.

He didn't hear me, because he threw his set of drawers across the room. It was only then that I took in the full destruction of the place. The window was shattered, with a round hole in the centre. The bed was dented down the middle, and the blankets strewn across the fireplace, alight with eerily red flames. The door to the bathroom had fallen off its hinges, and was leaning, defeated, against the wall. A moving picture of the Chudley Cannons was crooked above it and the players were watching the scene with googly eyes. All aspects of furniture had damage to them – and all appeared to have been inflicted by Ron's fists.

Ron himself was panting in the centre of the room, his hair nowhere near as red as his face. His hands were balled and his shoulders set. I'd never seen him so angry, and I imagined that I looked withered beside him. Thankfully, I noticed that he wasn't holding his wand, but it was still dangerously deposited in his belt. "…Ron?" I said again, gently this time.

He flung himself to face me and fixed me with a stare so menacing that I nearly flinched. Crimson firelight danced upon his face, making him look positively alight, but in a scary manner. I spoke again in a cool, soothing voice. "Ron, what happened?"

"THEY TOOK HER!" he roared. "SHE'S GONE!"

I looked at him in concern. _Has he been confunded? No, surely he'd be acting differently. "…_Who did they take?"

"THEY STOLE HER! SHE'S BEEN TAKEN! SHE- SHE-!"

"_Ron!"_ I yelled to overpower his voice and he faltered. I stayed put, close to the exit in case the situation turned violent. When I spoke again, I made sure I was still keeping my voice level. "You need to calm down."

"HOW COULD I, RYUU?! HOW COULD I EVER LET THEM TAKE HER AWAY?!"

I clutched my wand behind my back so he couldn't see it. "I'm sure that whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. Just, settle down _please_-"

"NO! NO! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO PEOPLE LIKE HER! THEY TOOK HER, THEY-"

"RONALD WEASLEY!" I roared, my temper getting the better of me. He stopped fuming and stared at me as if he'd only just registered I was there. _"_I can't help you unless you talk to me, so - _stop shouting and tell me what happened!" _I hissed.

He relaxed slightly, still breathing heavily and placed his storming blue eyes on mine. "They took her Ryuu!"

"Who?" I asked, but I dreaded that I already knew the answer.

"HERMIONE!" Ron blurted out, throwing his hands into the air. "THEY TOOK HERMIONE! THOSE _SNATCHERS!"_

"Snatchers?" I repeated dumbly.

"I've heard about what they do," Ron began in a grunt, looking anywhere in the room but my face. "They search the countryside. Stealing muggleborns from their families, and ones that are in hiding." His knuckles cracked from the strain he was putting them under. "They take them away to these- these _Kennels;_ where they're all cooped up…" I remained silent as he turned back to me, his face red and blotchy and his eyes glinting. When he spoke, it was barely audible, but layered with so much emotion and disgust; I could feel the weight of it from where I stood. "And they turn them into _slaves."_

My mind ticked over this information, slowly and with much difficulty. _They couldn't… slavery… Hermione… _I gulped, dragging a hand through my hair. It was clear that Hermione was in a horrible mess now. They wouldn't kill her. Oh no, they'd do much worse than that. Hermione Granger, the intelligent muggleborn girl who's been close with Harry Potter since she was eleven years old. I winced. They were going to torture her for information.

"And she never knew… I never told her… now she's gone… and I-" Ron was swaying on the spot, clearly lost in his own struggles. I felt a pang of empathy for him. "-I never said to her…." Silence fell like a broken bird between us. I stared at the traumatised figure in front of me, thoughts that I had repressed flashing through my mind.

"Ron?" I began shakily, "I get it. I really do… but-"

Suddenly, he flicked his head up and approached me with terrifying speed. I didn't have time to react, before he was standing directly in front of me, a stricken expression plastered upon his face. "No you don't!" he said horrified. "You can't possibly-" he shook his head at me. "_You can't lose something you've never had!"_

_SLAP._

It was only after the back of my hand had collided with his cheek that I realised what I had done. I turned on my heel and stalked out of the room, raging towards my bedroom door. I tossed my wand on my bed and scowled; my eyes stinging, my throat itching to go on a tirade of swearwords that couldn't form a tangible sentence in my pulsing brain. I stood in silence, staring at the stone wall, releasing all my anger in deep breaths. _How dare he… _

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force away the memories that were too painful to dwell upon.

"_You're a liar, and a traitor - __not__ a hero!"_

I shook my head, opening my eyes and focusing them on the cracks and scratches in the bricks. I tried to count them, but my mind kept on teetering back to puddles at my feet and rain pattering around me relentlessly, unforgiving.

"_Well what's your excuse, Ryuu? So much of a __soulless bitch__ that you have to lie just to get somebody to want you?"_

I pushed my fingers into my palms and curled my toes in my boots. _I know, I know! I'm so sorry…_

"_I hate you."_

Instantly, I eradicated all thought from my brain and stared hard at the wall as if it would answer all my questions. My face blanked, returning to its usual mask and I took slow, steady breaths. I heard the door open behind me, but didn't bother to see who it was. Footsteps approached, and I recognised them instantly. Ron stood next to me, stock still and facing the wall as well. Neither of us spoke. We didn't need to. After I had counted all the cracks and crevasses on the brick three times over, and the sky darkened more, I moved and faced Ron.

He looked at me guiltily, but all I did was retrieve my wand from the bed and nod towards the door. "C'mon." I murmured.

His brow furrowed. "Where are we going?"

I was already at the doorway, so I turned back to him. When I spoke, my voice was unusually calm. "To find Harry."

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Draco

I instantly awoke and sat up, pointing my wand at all corners of the darkened room. My eyes adjusted to the bright moonlight from the window to see that I was completely alone. But I had heard it. The sound hadn't been too loud, but ever since the war had begun my sleep patterns had been interrupted by even the slightest disturbance in the usual hums of the night.

I swung my feet over the side of the bed, and rolled up my long grey sleeve. I sleuthed over to the open window and peered down onto the side gardens of the manor, and the forest beyond. My eyes stared blearily as I swept them across the ground below, looking for any sign of movement. _But surely no one could've broken in. The protective enchantments are ancient. Nearly impossible to break._

_Nearly impossible…_

I waited patiently, but the only noises that reached my ears was the hooting of owls and the trickling of the fountain. I looked up at the night sky for a broomstick, but instead my gaze caught upon the constellation I was named after. Naturally, I'd learned how to find it from a young age, but it had been some time since I had looked up purely to see Draco twinkling down at me.

"_You were always born into the stars, Draco," _whispered my mother's voice in my head. "_Even if you don't go further, your home is still a place far above the rest."_

I leaned back from the windowsill to close the glass frame when I heard it.

"_Point me,"_ hissed a voice from below.

I slipped into the shadows of my window and peered down towards the ground. The voice had sounded female. I tried to distinguish it, but I hadn't had enough time to fully analyse it. Another sound, quite different from a voice stirred through the stillness of the night. Footsteps. Light, but quick and becoming fainter by the second. The woman was leaving the building, which meant she had her back to me. I took a risk and leaned around the edge of the window, so I could see better. The light from the moon illuminated the figure below. She was small in stature, and her glossy hair looked exceptionally like a shade of deep purple.

Reeah.

I squinted. Reeah wasn't dressed in her Death Eater attire, but a pair of jeans and a long thermal black coat. She was walking towards the forest, her wand held in front of her. It seemed to be whizzing in all directions before making up its mind and stopping, pointing resolutely to her direct right. She paused and then spun on her heel to stride left, away from where the wand was directing her. Her pale face was unreadable at this distance.

_What is she doing? _I thought. _She can't have been doing this recurringly, someone would have noticed._ It had been a few months since the Reeah had taken lodgings in Malfoy Manor. Having abandoned the rest of her family to join the Death Eaters, she had nowhere else to go, and Mother had insisted that she live with us. Father had been apprehensive. Even though he'd been colleagues with her father in school, Reeah's step mother was still a non-Slytherin and a muggleborn. But Reeah had assured us for years that she'd never wanted anything to do with her step mother, and barely acknowledged her father's decisions.

_Is she running away? _I shook my head. _What would she gain from that? There must be another reason. _I thought of Blaise. I winced as I considered how he'd react when he realised that his fiancée was sneaking out at night. As I watched Reeah become more and more blurry in the darkness, I considered calling out, or maybe chasing after her. _No, _I concluded after a few seconds hesitation. _By the time I got downstairs, she might already be gone. Besides, _I closed the window. _If she is running away from the Death Eaters, I don't want to be caught talking to her. _

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was ill._

_Her father was about to pull the blanket over her, but the girl never liked people treating her like a child – even though she was one. She stubbornly tugged at the quilt so that it draped over her shoulders once more and leaned back into the comfort of the lounge. Her father smiled and returned to the book that he was barely interested in. The girl sipped at her warm mug of soup idly, every now and then sparing a glance out of the corner of her eyes at her father, who was ignoring her easily. Finally, after her third sip her impatience bested her will and she spoke._

"_Daddy."_

_The father turned to his daughter with a well concealed expression of amusement. "Yes?"_

"_What are you reading?" her voice sounded croaky from the cold, but still held an ever present undertone of demand. _

_The father smiled. "A book."_

_The girl pouted. "Yes, I know that." She took a sip of soup. "What is the book about?"_

_The father sighed. "You wouldn't be interested in it." He turned a page, and subtly grinned as his daughter sat up straighter and leaned next to him in an attempt to read from over his shoulder. The father dog eared the page and closed the book, narrowing his eyes at his daughter. For a moment she looked surprised, before mimicking him exactly. There was a few seconds of tension, in which father and child stared at each other; waiting for the other to drop the expression. _

"_BANG!" the father declared, and the girl jumped so suddenly that she nearly fell off the couch. Her mouth hung open in an incomplete gasp and she clutched the mug of soup – which had miraculously failed to spill – in her hands tightly. _

"_Daddy, you cheated!" _

_The father burst out laughing and after a few more seconds of annoyance the girl joined in. The father placed the book on the table. His daughter was far more interesting than any novel. _

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A/N: As you might have been able to tell, I got a bit carried away with the healing scene. I love describing magical poisons and antidotes. And I also love writing Snape – particularly in scenes with Harry. But things are about to take a different turn… poor Hermione.


	31. Chapter 9 - The Hunt

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello again! I'd just like to say a thank you to all of my lovely readers – yes, that means you – I'm proud to say that Ryuu and Draco's story is now being read by over one thousand people. Whoa, right? Thanks for sticking around guys. Here's the next chapter; quite an interesting one actually…

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 9 – The Hunt

Ryuu

"So… she's the one?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa. She looks so… short_."_

"What does that matter?"

"It doesn't! It's just… you wouldn't think that-"

"-I know! But, I suppose if anyone was going to go that far; it'd be _her."_

"…Why?"

"Duh, Hillary. She's a _Slytherin!"_

"Really?! I thought that they'd all left to join You-Know-Who."

"All except one. But if you ask me, something about her seems a little suspicious."

"You don't think…?"

"Shhh! She's coming!"

As I walked past the two gossiping girls, I kept my head high and pretended that I hadn't overheard them. They were only young, and I could see from their uniform that they were Kittens; a name that had been given for people of 14 years and under who were in training to become Cats. The Kittens were people who'd run away from home – and most of them were muggleborns. The girl who had silenced her friend stared at me with wide eyes, and as soon as she assumed I was out of earshot; leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the red-haired Hillary once more.

I scowled to myself. The story of how I had killed a Snatcher had flitted through Hogwarts quicker than the usual trail of gossip. Apparently, I was to go down in history as the first Cat to have killed their opponent. _My parents would be so proud… _Also the rumour about me being present at Luna's death added kerosene to the fire. Wherever I walked, whispers flitted around me. "They said she ran in with the body on her back…" "But why didn't she join You-Know Who?" "Killed a Snatcher – necked him on the spot!" Somehow the fact that I'd saved Harry and that Luna was my sister seemed to have been lost in the surge of gossip.

It was truly disconcerting to see people recognising me as I passed them, when my entire school life, I had appeared less important than the shadow of a particularly boring student. I had been untraceable. Unknown. Well, not anymore. Now, eyes were drawn to me like I was under a spotlight.

There had been no reports on Hermione's whereabouts - which had done nothing to ease Ron's agitation. He was determined to find her, and it was clear that he wanted to bring an end to those who had captured her. Harry and I had been keeping a close eye on him. I believed it was only a matter of time before he did something foolish.

A few other muggleborns had been taken. All were well known Gryffindors. It seemed that the youngest of the Death Eaters were tipping the Snatchers off about who to target at Hogwarts. Whenever I was reminded of my assumption, a horrible twisting feeling squirmed through my insides. _Surely Draco would've told them about me. And if not him, Pansy. _I sighed.

My boots crunched on the lightly frosted grass. I had barely noticed the cold of the now dying winter. Spring was just dwindling in the breeze, and colourful specks had begun to bloom as they peaked through the melting snow of the ground. I strode along the grass, my scowl still prominent. Clearly it wasn't enough for me to suffer in silence about killing the unknown Snatcher – no, the entire school had to know and suspect me as well. _But am I suffering in silence? _I didn't regret killing him. He threw a poisoned knife at me. He tried to kill Harry. I'd done what I would've done again. Frankly, I was a tad surprised when I realised I was the first Cat to kill someone. _That'll change soon._ But no, I wasn't suffering in silence. What disturbed me most was the thought of the Snatcher's loved ones discovering who I was.

I knelt down beside an avid green hedge that still held small scatters of snow on its upper leaves. The plant displayed a vast assortment of rainbow flowers in the shapes of crescent moons. I carefully extracted some of the blossoms, bunching them together with some simple charm work to form a bouquet.

As I entered the perimeter of protective enchantments, all outside noises ceased. No birds chirped and the breeze was non-existent. I navigated my way through the graves until I reached the one below the tree. As Luna's resting place came into sight, I wiped the unattractive grimace from my features and replaced it with an attempt at a kind smile.

It was obvious that Dennis had had the same idea as me. A small wreath of sunflowers leant against the grave. From their appearance, it looked like he had been here recently.

The sun was just rising above the tree tops, and a slight, spring warmth bathed my face. I knelt down beside the gravestone and rested the bouquet next to Dennis's. Luna had always said that this time of year was her favourite; when the lake was thawing and the flowers were coming back again. I placed my hand upon the stone. It was still smooth, and the sun was heating it up.

"Good morning," I whispered.

Perhaps a tiny part of me was waiting for a reply, but it never came, as I knew it wouldn't.

Sighing, I removed my hand and moved over to sit beside the gravestone, leaning on its smooth edge and looking up at the silhouette of the castle haloed by the rising sun. It was still incredibly sad to be here, in the place where my sister lay slowly decomposing ten feet under. I glanced over at the oak tree a few feet away, and wondered if it's roots reached through to where Luna was, and if she'd eventually break down to meld with the tree. I should of felt sickened at the thought, but I didn't. Simple science. A natural part of life; well, death. One of the last normalities there was.

"Zach's gone," I began, softly. "Not like you are. He's only temporary." Lightly, I placed my fingertips on the dirt before the gravestone, feeling the soft earth, longing. "But I'm still mad at him. I mean, I know he has his own issues, we all do, but I can't believe he just ditched and left us here."

I wished the protective enchantments were weaker. Then perhaps I'd hear the whispering of the trees in the wind or the distant call of a raven and feel like I'd been given a response. I had no delusions about life after death, heaven and hell – that all seemed a bit cheap to me. I'd been an Atheist before I found out I was a witch, and for a while I suppose I was a bit Agnostic. I mean, if magic and dragons and vampires were real, why not a Creator? But no, as soon as I'd studied a bit more on ghosts and learned that there was no spell to bring back the dead, I'd reassured myself. Almost everything in the universe could be explained through science, and the things that couldn't be were caused by magic – which could possibly juts be a level of physical manipulation that muggles hadn't picked up on yet. Wizards could be a notch higher on the evolutionary scale; or maybe an odd genetic throwback or radioactive mutation brought around the first one. But God? No, that didn't make sense to me.

So, I knew that Luna hadn't returned as a ghost. Which meant she was gone permanently. She couldn't hear me now. All this I was certain of, but I needed someone to talk to. The only way my sister lived now was in memory – and this place evoked a lot of them. I took a deep breath and continued.

"I'm not sure how I can comfort Den. You were always good at that stuff. Maybe it's time for me to step up, huh? Be the shoulder to cry on." I shook my head. "No, that's not me. I wouldn't know what to do from there, once I'd stepped awkwardly up the uneven staircase and ended up falling flat on my nose." Silence slapped my eardrums. "You would've laughed at that."

Twisting my mouth to stop myself from choking, I idly traced the pattern around the gravestone with my finger. "And now Hermione's probably in a Kennel being tortured." A horrible, piercing stab of guilt struck me in the gut. "I was such an ass to her the last time I saw her." Annoyed, I groaned. The sun began to rise over the turrets and towers of Hogwarts, its bright rays blinding me.

"I wish you were here, Luna." I whispered, so that only I could hear. "I miss you so much."

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I fastened the leather to the handle off my wand. It was only a thin strap, but it was tough and concealable. I looped the other end around my wrist, forming a tight knot. Experimentally, I dropped my wand from my grip and admired the effect.

It was now dangling from the leather cord that I had attached to my wrist. The idea had occurred to me after a severely grotesque night terror that I had experienced a few night's prior. In the dream I kept being easily disarmed, and when my wand left my hand it was impossible to find it again. I'd been totally defenceless when Bellatrix Lestrange had come towards me with a long rusty blade and slowly dragged it across my throat with a high pitched cackle.

I shivered and flicked my wrist upwards. My wand swung above it and fell into my outstretched fingers. I had considered a sticking charm, but figured that it would've caused an annoyance when I had to ask somebody else to free the wand from my flesh. My structure could be broken by a slicing charm, but if I was in the middle of battle in the dark, it was unlikely that a Death Eater would even see the cord. I released my wand again, and with a swift movement brought it back to my grasp. I smiled. The idea was basic and magicless, something you're average Merlin probably wouldn't think of. _Looks like being a muggleborn has its perks. _

I was just returning to reading: _Basic Healing Charms and Spells – A Guide To Mending All Things Broken, _when a loud yell made me jump, the book slipping from my grasp. "RYUU!"

My shoulder smashed painfully into the pillar I was leaning against as I sprang to my feet, wand at the ready. Harry sprinted up beside me, his eyes wide and his glasses halfway down his nose. Before I could ask, he shoved a piece of parchment in my face. There was only one sentence written upon it, in an unmistakable hand.

**I'LL JUST HAVE TO FIND THEM MYSELF.**

I groaned. _I'm going to kill you Ronald Weasley. _I thrust the parchment aside. "Explain." I said angrily.

"He told me to meet him at the Gryffindor Common Room, but when I got there all I found was this!" Harry thrashed the paper in his hand so violently that it tore. "He's gone_ looking_ for them! He kept saying that we needed to hunt down the Snatchers, but I told him it was too dangerous! And now, _now-"_

"When was the last time you saw Ron?" I interjected.

Harry looked lost in drastic thought for a few moments before his eyes cleared. "This morning. At breakfast. I thought he looked-"

"-That was eleven hours ago." I interrupted him, a bad feeling spreading through my stomach. "You haven't seen him any other time today?"

"What? I- no!" Harry stammered.

I inspected his body language carefully, knowing where this was going and not liking it. "Do you have any idea _where_ he could've gone?"

Harry took a little longer to answer, and he looked at me suspiciously. "…No."

I shifted from his gaze and turned my head to face the window. "Then I can't help you."

"_What?!" _Harry gasped and looked stricken. "That's it? You're not going to help at all?!"

I turned back to him, my eyes hard. "What do you want from me? I'm not your delivery girl, running around getting mixed up in _your_ problems and rising to_ your_ needs." I stopped reclining, and stood up straighter, so that we were almost at eye-level. With an immense amount of effort I softened my tongue. "Ron could be anywhere by now. If he chose to run off into the wilderness at the expense of the people who care about him; that's not _my_ problem. You have no way of tracking him. You have no method of bringing him back. You have no need of _me."_

Harry grimaced and looked as if he was struggling not to grab my shoulders and shake me. "So you don't care? It doesn't bother you that he could be in danger?"

"If he _wanted_ to leave," I began, a brief image of Zach's face flashing across my mind; "then there was nothing any of us could've done to stop him."

"Listen," Harry demanded, his cheeks flushed. "At the moment, I don't even want to look at you-" I scoffed at his attempt to persuade me, "-but I know as well as you that if there is one person I can use to help me find Ron – it's _you."_

I pushed a finger into his chest. "_You_ need to listen. This is impossible. He could be miles away by now."

"Actually, he's not."

I spun around at the new voice. Harry and I had been so wound up at each other that we hadn't noticed the sound of running footsteps approaching. Ginny's eyes flickered to Harry. "I've been looking for you everywhere." She absorbed the scene, and paused.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I saw Ron about half an hour ago. He was walking into the Forbidden Forest. I thought it strange, so I ran around the castle to find you." Her eyes widened. "I heard raised voices. What do you mean you need to look for Ron? Where's he gone?"

Harry quickly explained the situation, and once he'd finished talking Ginny nodded and pulled her wand from her pocket. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not." said Harry instantly.

There were instant protests from Ginny, all of which Harry deflected. I watched with fascination. It was Harry's natural agenda to refuse the help of others in dangerous situations, but this conflict was ongoing and Harry seemed to be almost demanding that Ginny stayed behind. The answer hit me suddenly, and I smirked once it did.

Finally, after several minutes of ongoing bickering I could take it no longer. "Shut up!" I yelled at both of them. "You'll have the entire castle thinking there's an invasion if you carry on like this." I marched in-between them and Harry glared at me. Ginny raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ron is already thirty minutes ahead of us, and _well_…" I avoided eye contact with Harry, "…_maybe_ we could catch up with him. Possibly. But we'd have to be fast. And we'd have to go now. Agreed?"

Ginny spoke quickly. "Harry do you think he's still on the Marauder's Map?"

"The what?" I said, as Harry swore and raised his wand. _"Accio Marauders Map!"_

For a few seconds, nothing happened and I looked between Ginny's flushed face And Harry's edgy demeanour. Then, with a light whoosh, a piece of shabby parchment zipped through the open window and Harry caught it with his inane Seeker reflexes. "What is that?" I asked, but neither of them answered my question, but bent over the parchment muttering to each other.

"Err, hello?" I said in annoyance. "Earth to Potter and Weasley!" They looked up from the parchment. "Do you think you could spare an explanation upon your _one_ hope of finding Ron?" I said smugly.

"Don't flatter yourself." Harry cut in, and I could tell that he was still grumpy with me. "The Marauder's Map was made by my Dad and his friends. It's a map of Hogwarts and the grounds… hey I think I see him!"

I was about to criticize him for owning an invading Death Eater's best friend, but instead hurried forward to inspect the map. It was a beautifully intricate piece of art, and for a moment I envied the talents of the composer. I then came back to the issue at hand and scanned the Forbidden Forest. Sure enough, there was a little blob of ink with the words "Ronald Weasley" underneath it, charging towards the very outskirts of the map.

"We can still catch him." I muttered as Harry shoved the map back into hiding. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but with one chilling glance from me he closed it. "And when I say _we, _I mean all three of us. Ginny has every right to join. Ron _is_ her brother."

Silence fell, and I caught Ginny's grin of victory in the corner of my vision. "C'mon," she said, "I have an idea."

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Draco

Every muscle in my body tensed. I could feel His eyes on me. Watching. Analysing. I straightened, and fired another curse at Blaise, which he wasn't quick enough to deflect this time. He stumbled and fell, his wand rolling along the ground beside him. I dared not assist him to his feet.

"Good." The Dark Lord's voice said with a sneer. "Yes, very good Draco."

Blaise rose, throwing me a fleeting angry glance. Ever since Reeah had disappeared he'd been in short temper. But he wouldn't show his feelings now. Not when the Dark Lord was watching us like a hawk. He had been studying our fighting techniques all day. Neither of us knew why, nor did we question. The Lord's presence caused an eerie silence to creep over our training, and I felt the constant weight of his lingering eyes as the seconds ticked by.

Suddenly, He was in front of me and I quickly avoided direct eye contact. He seemed to breathe in every fibre of my self–assurance. I repressed a shudder as He spoke. "You have improved Draco."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"In fact, I believe you have improved so much that you deserve a better opponent. A _real_ test." He turned his back and strode away, his bare feet gliding across the polished floor. I said nothing.

Faster than a snake striking, he spun on his heel and raised his wand to point at me. _"Crucio." _He hissed, and I bent over in unbearable pain that wrenched at my body. Searing venom pumped through my veins. Blades dragged across my flesh, crawling slowly. I squeezed my mouth shut, knowing I mustn't cry out. As quickly as the pain had started, it ceased.

I opened my eyes. I was lying on the ground. My lip was split from biting down on it, and two trickles of blood crawled down my chin like grotesque red fangs. I shakily got to my knees, and after what felt like hours, was on my feet again, swaying slightly. I gripped my wand so tightly my knuckles paled.

The Lord lifted his wand again, and I couldn't attack. I knew I couldn't. If I did, he'd kill me for sure. Fear clutched at my chest, as I watched him form the words on his mouth. This time I was lifted into the air, my lungs constricting as if a heavy weight was upon them. More blood gushed from my mouth. _I will not scream. He hates that. _

I was dropped to the floor again, and hastily gathered myself, preparing for another blow. But it did not come. I continued to avoid eye contact as The Lord swiftly strolled past me. When he reached the door, his voice was loud but slick.

"Excellent work Draco."

And he left.

I swayed on the spot, and Blaise quickly came over to steady me. To my relief, Blaise didn't make any comment as I gasped a great shuddering breath and grabbed my hair with my fists, shaking.

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Ryuu

I'd always enjoyed flying, but I vowed to myself that from this day forth I would never get on a broomstick with Ginny Weasley ever again.

Ginny was a good flier, a _very_ good flier. She would have made an excellent Chaser in a Quidditch match, but travelling with her on a broomstick proved to be a few seconds short of a death sentence. The trees whipped past below us, and Harry was level with our speed, even though he was flying on a Firebolt. Several times I had clung to Ginny with so much verbosity in the thought that if I fell to my death, I'd at least take my murderer down with me. I would've preferred to have a broom to myself, but I knew I wouldn't have been able to keep up with the others. As much as I enjoyed flying, I only did it for pleasure, not purpose. After about an hour I would have insisted that we stop so I could rest my aching legs.

We'd been searching the Forest below for hours, but like I had so rudely yelled out to begin with; we hadn't been able to see anything through the thick amorphous of bark and leaves. However, Harry had insisted that we scour the very outer rim of the Forbidden Forest, calling out Ron's name. Although I knew that this plan wouldn't work because Ron obviously didn't want to be found by us, Harry had snapped at me several times and I had begun to regret my decision to help him more and more as the hours went by.

Finally, when the sun was truly dipping below the horizon, Ginny and Harry lowered their broomsticks into the deep soil that blanketed the ground of the inner forest. Because it was a school rule, I'd never ventured into the Forbidden Forest; nor had I ever wanted to. I'd always figured that its name was bestowed upon it for a distinct reason. As I stood in the clearing, I realised just how accurate my assumption was.

The trunks of the trees surrounding us were thick and twisted, and for some inexplicable reason I pictured that they had been tortured into remaining stationary. Layers of leaves towered over our heads, a different shade of green and brown for each one. The darkness was already advancing, defeating the dying light, and I shivered even though any cold that I had felt in the sky was now absent amongst the tight surroundings of the forest. For that was what disturbed me the most. Even though it was clear that I was standing in a large area, somehow the darkness around me felt _compressed. _

"We'll camp here for the night." Harry said as he placed his broom on the ground. Ginny followed suit, and watched Harry as he began to walk in a circle around us, muttering incantations under his breath.

"Joy." I drawled, crossing my arms over my chest. "But tomorrow, we're going to have to go outside the Shield. Ron's clearly left Hogwarts."

Harry stopped his circling and picked up a nut from the ground. He tossed it at the protective enchantments he had created, and it sprung back towards him. He sighed. "I know."

"But," Ginny began, "if we go outside the shields how are we going to get back in?"

I froze. _Damn. _I couldn't believe that I actually hadn't thought of that possibility. We could try breaching the shields like the Death Eaters did, but that would just cause a panic. People might even try and attack us. For a few moments I racked my brain for ideas, and I could see that Harry was doing the same."Well, we'll just have to send a message to someone in Hogwarts." I concluded, "That way, they can let us in."

"Who would we tell?" said Ginny.

"Snape." I replied at the exact moment that Harry said "Dumbledore." We turned to each other with raised eyebrows. "Why Snape?" Harry protested. "He'd probably leave us out here to rot."

"Why Dumbledore?" I argued. "He probably wouldn't let us go and find Ron."

Harry regarded me with an expression of bewilderment. I honestly didn't care about the argument, but I was tired and grumpy, and Harry had just risen to the occasion. Ginny intervened before the fight could progress, her usual melted chocolate coloured eyes blazing. "Will you two just get a _grip?!" _she spat. "You've been at each other's throats all day! I don't care how this started-" Harry glanced at me but Ginny turned directly to him. "-and I don't care who started it! We're here to find Ron. That's it. So just get over yourselves!"

And with that she plonked herself on the ground, legs and arms crossed and spoke no more. Harry looked guiltily down at her, before joining her on the ground. Ginny resolutely inched slightly away from him when he turned to face her. There was complete silence in the Forest as the night began. Once the colour in her cheeks had faded, Ginny spoke again in a controlled voice. "How about Lupin? We could contact him."

My eyes met with Harry's. We both liked Lupin, this was something we could agree upon. Harry nodded and spoke up. "But-how do we do that? We haven't got an owl."

"No problem." I said, flicking my wand into my hand. "I thought it would be handy to learn this when the war started." I explained. "You can send messages to people with your patronus. You just have to focus on the person, what you have to say, and of course your happy thought." I raised my wand and turned away from them.

"Smart idea." Ginny complimented.

"Don't feed her ego." I heard Harry whisper back.

I took a deep breath and focused on my go-to happy memory. Darkness. Spider webs. The singing of the wind outside. The warmth of his hand in mine. "_Expecto Patronum."_ Nothing happened. Not even a wisp of my silver snake appeared. I frowned and clenched my jaw. The creaks of the Shrieking Shack. The many empty rooms. The kiss. _"Expecto Patronum!"_

The only thing that shone was the slim slice of moon over the horizon. _What the-?! _I straightened my shoulders and forced myself to delve into my memories. His voice. His face. His lips. His eyes. His arrogance. His sarcasm. His smirk. His presence. Draco. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

Yet still I was surrounded by darkness.

I gasped and shook my head. _How? Why? _I feebly waved my wand again, but I didn't even form the words on my lips. I didn't need to. I already knew why. There wasn't even a pinch of happiness left in that memory. Not anymore. Angrily, I realised tears were threatening my eyes and blinked them away, staring ahead of me into the gnarled trees. Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me and quickly fixed the mask onto my face once more.

"Ryuu?" Harry said from beside me.

"Mmhhmm?" I raised my eye brows ever so slightly, focusing on looking nonchalant.

A small pause. "…Why didn't you cast a patronus?"

I zipped up my jacket, thinking of a possible lie. After a few seconds I decided upon the sympathy motive. "Well…" I paused. "It's just hard to think about Luna since… it happened." I made sure my tone sounded a tad distant at the end, adding to the believability.

"Oh." Harry bit the inside of his lip. "It's alright. I'll do it."

I nodded and returned back to our "campsite" where Ginny's small pink flames were dancing a few inches above the ground. I settled myself into the most comfortable patch of soil I could find, barely noticing Harry's silver stag cantering into the distance.

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I woke myself up before the nightmare could progress. It was a skill I had attained after months of living with the dreams. I remained still and quiet, my body turned away from Harry who was on watch, and Ginny who was curled up a few feet away from him. My eyes scanned the twig beside my face with little interest as I tried to delete the images of silver snakes poisoning me from behind my subconscious mind. Whispers reached my ears and I slickly pulled my wand to my fingertips before I realised that it was the voices of my allies.

"Ryuu's stopped twitching now." Ginny observed.

I heard scraping sounds and guessed that Harry was shifting his position to see me better. "She was probably just having a nightmare."

I deepened my breathing so that I appeared to be asleep and opened my ears so I could eavesdrop on them.

"You know, sometimes I forget she's a Slytherin." Ginny said in a curious tone. "You know what I mean?"

"No." Harry replied with a tone that hinted on annoyance. "I've never met anyone more arrogant."

I smirked.

Ginny gave a weak laugh before silencing herself for a long time. I listened intently to the sounds of the night. In the distance, I heard ominous thuds that vibrated through the trees. I guessed that they were the hooves of centaurs, and if they were, they were galloping at a tremendous speed. _Maybe Umbridge tried to escape the centaurs. _The thought didn't make me as cheerful as I'd assumed it would.

"Harry…what if we don't find him?"

Ginny's question was so sudden that I nearly jumped. The way she'd asked it; she'd used a voice I'd never heard Ginny use before. _Scared._ Harry's answer was immediate, strong and reassuring."We will."

"You can't be sure of that."

"Ginny-"

"-Harry, I know what goes on out there. I know about the Kennels. I know what they're doing to Hermione. And I understand why Ron left. But; if we can't find him-"

"-Don't say that-"

"-What do we do – just leave him? How do I explain that to Mum?"

She said the last part in such a small voice that I was almost convinced someone else had spoken. This was a side to Ginny Weasley that had remained quite hidden from me. She'd always appeared as strong, sassy and slightly argumentative. It almost sounded as if… she'd given up. There was more shuffling, and footsteps, then Harry spoke; his voice held an essence of finality and self assurance that was so comforting for a moment I wished he was speaking to me.

"Ginny Weasley, I promise that I will find your brother."

Ginny sighed and said, "Thanks."

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was spinning._

_The world around her literally blurred in comparison to the joyous game that she was playing. Her hair swished about her and she laughed at the absurdity in what she was doing. But the girl did not care. Somehow she understood that this kind of fun would only really have the right effect once, and only once. _

_Her feet dodged over each other as she continued to twirl. She held her hands out in front of her and watched in fascination as they remained clear in front of the hazy fuzz that was the room surrounding her. The girl grinned. How different things looked when you changed the situation confining it!_

_For almost one glorious minute; nothing could go wrong. But then, the girl staggered. Her balance was rocking, but the girl still tried to keep spinning. She hadn't yet realised the problem. She didn't notice that the game was becoming too real. She couldn't see that she was about to fall._

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A/N: Dammit Weasley!


	32. Chapter 10 - The Mirror

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello again! For any who were concerned real life Reeah (my Beta) is pretty much fully recovered. Yay! Gruesomely, interesting, action-filled, deep times in this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 10 – The Mirror

Ryuu

I spoke just loud enough that Harry could hear me over the streaming wind, but not too loud, in case Ginny heard. "So when did you and Ginny get together?"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, and I felt the broom descend several feet towards the ground. I latched onto him, but we didn't fall. Harry quickly steadied the broom back into its original height.

"Next time you feel the urge to do that, could you give me a warning?" I said anxiously.

"How did you know about Ginny and I?" Harry replied through clenched teeth.

"Well," I began, "I didn't know for certain, but you've just confirmed it for me now."

Harry grunted. "You're a real prick sometimes, you know…"

"Thanks pal. Love you too." Harry didn't find this amusing at all. I sighed. "I didn't tell anyone. I actually think it's really great."

He seemed to relax a little. "Err… thanks."

I grinned. "Yeah. I have to be there when Ron finds out."

Although I could only see the back of Harry's head, it wasn't hard to imagine the expression on his face. "Next time, _you're_ flying with Ginny. She'll just have to deal with you."

"Hey!" I snapped. "That's your future wife you're talking about!"

This time, Harry silently joined in when I laughed.

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Draco

Blaise burst through the door, a scowl printed on his face. He tore off his gloves and tossed them across the room. Without sparing me a glance, he stormed over to one of the lounges and dropped onto it, his hands balled into fists. I hastily shoved the unsolved Rubik's Cube back into my pocket. "Still no sign of her?" I asked.

"No." Blaise grunted. He narrowed his eyes at the end table as if it would cave and reveal his fiancés whereabouts. I couldn't think of anything to say in comfort to Blaise's predicament so I simply remained silent. "I just don't get it!" he ranted. "I mean, she was a bit distant since the war began. Like there was something else on her mind. But she never told me. Not anything! And now, she's just… gone." He grimaced, his brow furrowed in thought.

"_Women."_ I muttered, flexing my knuckles to relieve the strain of trying to decipher the muggle puzzle.

Blaise made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a throaty chuckle and an unamused grunt. "Yeah. Have you seen Pansy lately?"

I froze, wondering if she'd told anyone about what had occurred. "No…"

Blaise's dark eyes widened. "Trust me. You don't want to."

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly.

Blaise glanced around at the empty room before leaning in closer and speaking in a whisper. "She's lost it. Completely. I don't know what did it, but-" he shook his head, "-she often visits the Kennels. Roams around, picking on certain mudbloods. The other day, she killed one of them _just_ because they tripped over. And that guy was an obedient slave!"

I shook my head. "Why?" I asked.

Blaise leaned back into the lounge, and stared out the window. His eyes glazed over and I knew he was worrying about Reeah. _"Women."_

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Ryuu

My feet dropped onto solid ground. I turned and looked back at the silhouette of Hogwarts castle behind us. It looked ghostly in front of the setting sun. We were now completely out of range from its protective walls and had been all day. I was sick of the sight of forests. We were no longer in the Forbidden Forest, but in another one, thinner and with fewer trees. Harry and Ginny flopped onto the ground, exhausted.

"I'll do the shield." I said firmly, and walked a few steps into the copse of the woods. _"Protego Totalum," _I began under my breath. Transparent blue light flashed from my wand and began to leak out like ink. _"Salvio Hexia-"_

"_Impedimenta!" _screeched a voice from the darkness.

I froze, and wheeled around, my eyes scanning the trees for the source. Harry and Ginny were doing the same. Harry quickly extinguished the golden flames he had created, and grasped Ginny's arm. A flash of purple light sparked from a few dozen feet away, illuminating the trees momentarily. Ginny broke free from Harry's hold and dashed towards it. Harry hurried to do the same.

I growled. _That's it. Run towards the mysterious spell caster. Only good can come from that. _I slinked around the trees, ducking in and out of shadows, using the terrain for a cover as I approached the scene. _Gryffindorks…_

I slipped as I ran towards one tree, and let go of my wand. To my delight, it remained connected to my wrist because of the leather strap and I smiled as I came closer to where the light had gone off. Several more colours burst from the area, and deafening snaps pierced the night. I ducked behind a log and peeked over the top to scan the situation.

Four people were blasting spells at each other in a small clearing. There was no way to determine who was winning, they all seemed equally matched. I recognised Harry and Ginny at the edge of the battle, both trying to stun the other two as well as looking out for each other's backs. Another figure, which was tall and wore a hood, was deflecting their attempts and desperately trying to paralyse the other person, who was positioned in front of my log with their back to me. They were protecting themselves from all attacks that were being fired at them, and doing a good job of it. I'd never seen anyone moving so fast. _Okay. _I held my wand above the log. _I'll get this one in the back, and leave the other one to Harry and Ginny. _

"_Stupefy." _I muttered.

The figure in front of me swayed and stumbled forwards. Then, Harry's jinx hit them full in the chest and they were blasted backwards to where I now stood. I vaguely caught sight of Ginny taking on the hooded person as the body collided with me.

We were brought to the ground, and the person seemed to realise that they had landed on a human. They flipped over, and I saw a pale face before I snapped into attack mode. My wand was missing from my palm, and I couldn't flick it back while I was in this position. I lifted a fist and slammed it towards their nose. There was a harsh snap, and a squeal. My opponent was female, and she was also sneaky. As soon as I had punched her, she had responded with several quick jabs to my neck and I choked. _I need to pin her down._

Using all the force I could muster I pushed her shoulders hard. She lifted off me slightly, and I sprang so that we were both huddled on the ground, holding each other back. A thick boot kicked me in the stomach and I was winded for a few seconds. But I didn't let go.

I twisted so that my shoulder was facing her and threw myself on top of her. With the use of all my bodyweight, I brought her down and had the height advantage. She struggled, but I forced my right knee onto her stomach and pressed my arm over her neck. She tried to kick me, but I intensified the pressure on her neck and she spluttered. I pulled my wand into my hand and pointed it at her chin. Once my breathing had reached a normal pace, and she'd stopped thrashing I actually took a moment to look at my attacker.

Her face was covered in dirt from our melee, and her dark hair was straggled with leaves and twigs. But as soon as I noticed her blue eyes with a blob of brown protruding from the left iris I realised who she was.

"_Reeah?!"_

My voice was croaky from when she had jabbed at my throat, but when I spoke her eyes flickered, and I presumed she'd woken up to the situation just as I had. She stared at me, eyes wide, and I wondered how I hadn't recognised her sooner. Now that her nose was broken, she was breathing from her mouth at a ridiculously loud level.

"_Ryuu?!"_

I gasped. It was the first time I'd ever heard her use my name. I'd never considered that she even_ knew_ my name. How could she, when like all the other Slytherins, she had only referred to me as 'It'? And now, I felt extremely awkward with my wand directed at her face, and my arm pressed threateningly over her airway. I couldn't think of a way to react. Seeing Reeah after all that had happened, and all that hadn't happened, simply left me… stunned.

"Ryuu!"

Harry's voice broke through my reverie, and I tightened my hold over Reeah. No matter what I thought of her, she was still dangerous. "I'm here!" I yelled. I was only just noticing now that the sounds of battle had ceased. Footsteps rushed towards my log and Harry peered over. When he caught sight of me holding down the still and shocked form of Reeah Noseworthy, he gave no remark of surprise. It was almost as if he hadn't noticed anything strange at all.

"Ryuu. Come quickly."

"Kind of busy." I replied.

"Potter!" Reeah said, startled. "You're with… _Potter?"_

Harry looked down at Reeah with a perplexed expression clouding his features. "Who's that?" he asked.

"Umm…" I began, but then chose not to answer. Instead I waved my wand and green ropes appeared from the tip, wrapping themselves around Reeah so that her wrists were bound tightly. Remarkably, Reeah didn't struggle at all. I then picked up her wand from the forest floor and slipped it in my pocket. Harry quickly understood that Reeah was now a prisoner and led her along into the clearing with his wand poking into her back, thankfully without questioning further.

Standing in the centre of the clearing were two figures. Ginny and Ron were locked in a tight embrace. Ginny had tears sparkling in her eyes and Ron looked both bewildered and relieved. The hood he had been wearing was flopped around his neck, so you could see his tangled shock of orange hair. As I watched the siblings, my features moulded into a blank stare. One thought came over me. _Why had I been so reluctant to find Ron? _Was there something wrong with me? Memories flickered at the back of my mind. My parents. Luna. Hermione. Zach. Draco. _I've lost so much. _

I gripped my wand tighter. Ever since Luna's death I had detached myself from everyone else – more than usual. The way I'd seen it, none of them could help me. I could only help myself. It was what I had always believed. _I am such an idiot. _Ginny and Ron parted, and Ron looked over to where I stood. A guilty and hesitant smile reached across his face. _Yes, I have lost so much. But there is still so much more to lose. _I walked forwards. _And I will do everything in my power to make sure I don't lose them. _

Ron watched me uncertainly. It was obvious he thought that I had a thousand cutting remarks to layer upon his already guilty conscience. Ginny and Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines and moved to stand defensively on either side of him, Harry still with a firm hold on Reeah's arm.

My poker face broke into a smirk. "Good to see you, Weasley."

I'd never been more sincere.

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It was a tiresome journey back to Hogwarts.

Because we couldn't fit three people onto one broom, we were forced to walk. Although this did give us time to hear about what Ron had done since he'd run away. He explained to us that he'd been so full of anger and that the thought of finding Snatchers that could lead him to Hermione was the only thing that kept him going. Of course, when he tried to do it, he hadn't gotten far before we'd caught up to him.

It had taken Ginny and Harry a lot of comforting words to persuade Ron to return to Hogwarts. Even though he was glad to see us, and felt bad about running away, he was intent on finding Hermione. At first I felt sorry for him, but after about half an hour, my impatience got the better of me and I was the first to scream logic at him.

"What use is it trying to find Snatchers?! Even if you do manage to overpower them, you're a _pureblood._ They're not going to take you to a Kennel. You'd be killed on the spot for being a blood traitor." Then he had looked at me unhappily and I had sighed, settling down. "Look, I'm worried about Hermione too. But the best hope of rescuing her is if we gather forces at Hogwarts, and possibly plan an attack." As soon as I had said this, his eyes had alighted with an ambitious obsession and I could practically hear his mind ticking over ideas. I'd persuaded him. Now, he wanted nothing more than to get back to Hogwarts, and plan an attack on the Kennels.

Then, there had been Reeah. She had remained silent for the entire first day of travelling, and even refused to eat any of the cooked squirrels we'd made for meals. Ron had told us that he'd spotted her travelling towards Hogwarts, and attacked. Besides from that, he didn't know anything about her and nor did Harry and Ginny. They assumed that she was with the Death Eaters, because I had tied her up. However, Ginny sensed that there was more to the story than that and told Ron and Harry to stop questioning me.

The problem was, I couldn't explain what I thought about Reeah. For four years we had shared the same dormitory along with many other things. We had been taught by the same teachers. We had both resided in Slytherin house together and, to a degree, grown up together. She'd never done anything to distress me like Pansy Parkinson had, but nor had she done anything to show acknowledgement of me. I knew very little of Reeah, except that she was generally quiet and well behaved, and of course that she breathed incredibly noisily.

One night, when I was on watch, I decided it was time for me to do a little investigation of my own. I waited until the others were asleep, and crept over to the tree where Reeah was bound. She was wide awake, and clearly illustrating that point by sitting up and staring at me as I sat down in front of her.

For a minute we simply sat there, glaring at each other until she spoke. "You didn't kill me. What do you want?"

I surveyed her with sceptical eyes and crossed my legs, leaning forwards. "A lot of things. Mainly a puppy and a BB gun," I said with a slight smile. Reeah did not flinch. I shrugged. _Clearly a little humour wasn't going to do anything. _Instead, I got straight to the point. "But I was actually wondering what _you_ wanted."

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well," I began, applying a casual conversational tone. "Let's see… I'm assuming that you're confused by the conflicting and _intriguing_ attitudes that you've been displaying since last year. Also, I haven't yet seen you're left forearm so whether or not you're a Death Eater is still up for debate; but I have deducted that you are no threat to me because I overpowered you and also-" I paused to see her looking at me with appalled features "-because you don't want to. That is what's stumped me the most. Your eyes tell me that you have no intention of fighting back or even trying to escape."

"Stop it," she whispered, looking slightly stricken.

I continued, ignoring her. "When I was binding your hands I saw that your fingernails showed signs of having being bitten regularly. I've known you for many years. Your only habit is breathing annoyingly loud." At this she blinked in confusion at my bluntness. "So I can presume that you have been biting your fingernails out of nervousness, _which_ I can link to what Ron has told me about you travelling _towards_ Hogwarts. I know that you're scared and for some reason that has made you decide to go to Hogwarts for a solution. Which is weird seeing as you might be working for Voldemort. So, this leads back to the original question-"

"-Enough!-"

"_-What do you want?" _I finished in a commanding tone. I continued to glare at her with an unwavering gaze that oozed demand.

Reeah Noseworthy was breathing shallowly and thunderously through her recently repaired nose. Her eyes were fierce and wide, yet she showed no signs of anger, only a mild hysteria. Clearly, I had struck a nerve. I remained silent, waiting. After several minutes she calmed down and slumped against the tree. "Is she okay?" Reeah said shakily.

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Is she okay?" Reeah repeated boldly and slowly. She looked up at me again, and I could see that she was genuinely concerned.

"Who?" I said. I didn't think this was an act, but I had no clue as to what she was referring to.

"My sister." Reeah said quietly. "Is she okay?"

Realisation dawned on me. Reeah Noseworthy's sister. She was in Ravenclaw. I had vague memories of her from the DA last year. She was only in her fourth year at Hogwarts then. I'd been assigned to the same Squad as her before I got a promotion. _I can't believe I forgot about the sister…_ "I… don't know." I answered carefully, watching her reaction with intrigue.

Reeah sagged against the tree trunk and looked at the ground. Suddenly I felt a pang of sympathy. Things between sisters evoked depressing reminders for me. Reeah shifted and then spoke in a low voice. I dared not interrupt."My Dad was in Slytherin. He married a pureblood and had me. But then my mother died when I was a baby and he remarried. To a muggle. They had a baby when I was one. My father's family never really forgave him for that. And, in a way, nor did I." she refused to look at me as she talked, and I stared at the ground also, so that she would feel more comfortable without the thought of me judging her.

"At school, I knew that fitting in was essential. So I told everyone that I resented my father for what he'd done and that I refused to acknowledge my mother. When my sister came and she was sorted into Ravenclaw, I acted like I hated her as well."

Even though I didn't agree with her, I understood why she did those things. No one wants to be an outlier; especially not in Slytherin house.

"My sister was disappointed in me every time I did something that disregarded my family. But, somehow… she still wanted to talk to me. I don't know why. I was horrible to her." She stopped and gave a weak smile. "I guess my step mum rubbed off on her."

Reeah's smile vanished quickly and her brow furrowed. "But then, things started getting serious." She glanced down at her bound hands and I noticed the gleam of a golden ring on her ring finger. "Blaise started talking about all this Death Eater stuff. And I didn't want to let him down because…" her cheeks tinged pink, "well, because I love him."

Reeah paused there for a moment, and I felt awkward until she continued. "So, I abandoned my family. I left them without saying goodbye. But, after a few weeks I realised… I just couldn't take it anymore. I was done. But I stayed. For Blaise. But now…"

"You've come to find your sister," I finished for her.

Reeah's head flicked up and her eyes locked with mine. I got the vibe that a part of her had forgotten that I was there, listening to every word. What she had told me about her family had seemed disturbingly familiar. I reminded myself once more that we were all just victims of this war; pawns in a game that we had no capacity to control.

Reeah nodded. "I need to know she's safe."

I stood. Reeah looked up at me with an odd expression. It was certainly strange to think that I had just heard all of Reeah's deepest and darkest secrets. I pulled my wand from my pocket. _"Relashio." _The bonds securing Reeah's hands were cut and she looked up at me open mouthed. "You're setting me free? But I thought – you of all people…"

The sentence hung in the air and I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

Reeah looked embarrassed but still regarded me with suspicious eyes. "All those times in school. I never did anything for you."

A mingled feeling of confusion and pity stirred within me. I looked back over my shoulder. Distantly, I could just see the hulking shadow of Hogwarts and knew what I must do. I flicked my wrist and my wand landed in my hand. "Pull up your sleeve."

Her pale blue eyes narrowed and flickered up and down my crouched position. "Why?"

"Because I can't take you into Hogwarts with a Dark Mark on your arm. I'll have to try and conceal it with a charm or something."

There was a slight pause and Reeah seemed to pale as she glanced down at her left arm. "No." I was about to protest, but then she spoke again, staring at me with a hardened gaze. "No, a charm won't work. It's a magical Mark; it can't be concealed with spells or potions." Her voice remained flat and her face set. "You'll need to cut it off."

I stared at her for a few seconds to make sure she sincere. When her eyes didn't waver I spoke in a calm, clear voice. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes."

"I don't know how to heal a flesh wound like that. It'll look suspicious if you walk into the castle with bandages over your forearm."

Her fingers flitted to her coat and reached inside her pocket. "I have some essence of dittany here," she said as she withdrew two small vials. One of them was broken, but the other was intact and was half full of yellowish liquid. "I made some before I left; thought it would be useful."

Reeah handed me the vial and I pressed it firmly into my palm. I spared her one last lingering look before I nodded and turned aside, eyes searching the ground around me. After a few seconds a bent and picked up a thin stick that was probably about twenty centimetres long. I tapped it with my wand and muttered an incantation and the wood seemed to melt away to be replaced with the solid metal gleam of an old fashioned razor blade.

When I turned back, Reeah was rolling up her sleeve to reveal the black inked Mark on her forearm. The serpent writhed unpleasantly over her white skin and the dark eye sockets of the skull seemed to bore into me as I stepped closer and crouched before her. Jaw locked, Reeah picked up a large rock and placed it in her left hand, already squeezing tight. I regarded her awkwardly. This was never a scenario I'd imagined would ever have happened between myself and Reeah Noseworthy. I forced myself to look confident, knowing that if our places were swapped I'd want Reeah to be certain of what she had to do. "Ready?" I asked lowly.

Reeah's eyes were planted on the Dark Mark. "Just do it."

I raised my wand and pointed it at her mouth. _"Silencio."_ After a moment I muttered an additional spell._ "Langlock."_ Couldn't have her biting down on her tongue and choking to death.Then, I placed my wand on the ground beside the vial of dittany and swiftly pressed the blade to Reeah's skin, digging in for the first cut.

Reeah twitched involuntarily, and the blade slid slightly, forcing its way deeper. Blood welled from the wound and over my fingertips. I kept the knife inside the cut and glanced up at Reeah. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and nodded, squeezing the rock tighter. Relaxing my wrist, I eased the blade upwards ever so slightly, and then proceeded to drag it down. Every now and then I would edge the knife outwards so as to make sure I was getting the entire width of the Mark – I didn't want to have to come back and prune away little bits here and there. I took deep breaths as I guided the blade, thinking; _just a little more pressure… now move it this way… not too deep… I control the knife… it's steady… I'm steady. _I could hear Reeah breathing loudly and harshly and forced myself not to think about how painful it must feel. _It's just like peeling a potato. Slowly. _Blood was rushing all over Reeah's arm now and my hand looked like it had adopted a slick red glove. I paused in the process, took a breath and carefully curved the blade deeper, rounding around the snake's head, which flicked around on the skin jerkily. There was only a bit of skin left now, my knife veered towards the last cut, centimetres away from lifting up and out. _Nearly. Gentle. _With one final drag upwards, I lifted the knife out and the loose piece of skin shifted jauntily, looking sickeningly like a loose patch on Reeah's forearm.

Allowing my hands to shake, I tossed the knife aside and slickly uncorked the vial. Acting before I could think about it too much, I quickly lifted the Marked skin from Reeah's arm and poured the potion onto the large, bleeding wound. There was a sizzling sound and little puffs of steam protruded from the red cut. Dropping the bottle I seized my wand and pointed it at Reeah's face, releasing the charms. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she winced as she stared at my other hand which was still dumbly holding the slice of skin.

Shuddering, I made to throw it unceremoniously aside, when the Dark Mark beneath my fingers burned. I felt as if I'd touched a hot stove and shrieked as I dropped it. "What is it?" Reeah croaked as the sizzling on her injury began to fade and new skin began to spread across the cut, like a sped up growth of mould.

"It burned," I hissed.

"He must be trying to summon me…" Reeah trailed off staring down at the slice of skin.

And as we watched, the Mark began to blacken the skin around it. The flesh shrivelled up and then sputtered into small flames before going out in a small stream of smoke like a cigarette butt.

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Draco

The meeting room was silent. The Dark Lord sat at the head of the table, his snake draped over his shoulders. He began his speech in a clear, cold voice; like ice cutting through skin. "The forces of Hogwarts are more extensive than we have presumed. It seems that many people are joining – people of all ages and blood status. They are all fools." His snake hissed as if in agreement."Harry Potter is their source of hope. He is what they believe in. But he is not what they fight for. Harry Potter must die, yes. But not until I have weakened their hope to such an extent that they simply cannot bear that final blow."

Bellatrix smiled devilishly from the seat next to me. A twisting feeling was squirming in my gut. The Lord flipped something in his hand and rolled it down the table. Everyone's eyes were fixed upon the object as it curled around in a loop and fell flat upon the surface of the wood. It was a galleon.

The Lord smiled cruelly. "Snatchers have been using these coins. Apparently, they were once used by Hogwarts students to communicate with each other in the school. When the war began, the children left them in the hands of loved ones, so as to send messages to them."

Bellatrix giggled into the back of her hand and so did several others at the table. The Dark Lord's horrible smile widened as he continued. "But now, these are an opportunity. To attract them. To trap them. To _kill_ them. _This_ is how their numbers will decrease. _This_ is how we claim an early victory." He splayed his hand wide, and the galleon flew back into his clutches, gleaming bright gold in the firelight.

"My Lord," spoke up a bearded man a few seats down from me. "What if they do not respond to the galleon signals?"

The Dark Lord appeared momentarily outraged that someone had contradicted his plot, before laughing suddenly. "They _will_ come. Their weakness is their desire to protect those they love. As soon as the message goes out, they will not be able to resist." He finished with a dangerously annoyed tone.

The bearded man didn't dare contradict Him again.

"Now." He stood from the chair and walked around the table. "The Snatchers have been divided up into several locations with the galleons. There are also two dozen groups that are still scouring the countryside for wizards who are travelling. The Snatchers who are calling and trapping people each need one Death Eater to direct them. We cannot have them getting too carried away. Every person caught could be a possible link to Harry Potter. So far, we only have one. Parsons, have you received any information yet?"

A waxy skinned wizard spoke with a deep voice from the very end of the table. "No, My Lord. The Granger girl hasn't spoken yet. But the Keepers of the Kennel think that she'll speak if they use more severe torture routines."

An image of Granger being tortured skimmed across my mind and I quickly tried to think of something else.

"Now then, the issue arises… whom to place with the Trappers?" The Lord said.

Several people stood up, and The Dark Lord nodded. After a few moments my father rose to his feet, and the Lord grinned. I didn't like that grin. I knew that it definitely wasn't out of happiness. "Lucius..." The Lord hissed. He strode towards my father until He was standing in between him and me. Nagini's tongue slithered from her mouth next to my left ear. I desperately tried to focus all my attention on the table.

"My Lord," My father said, bowing his head respectfully.

"I do not wish for _you_ to take this role. I think you have failed me quite enough." Laughter echoed throughout the room. I glanced at my father in the corner of my eye. He had returned to his seat and was looking panicky.

"Your son will go instead." The Dark Lord sneered.

I could feel all the eyes in the room, especially the ones of the snake, fixed on me. Like I was told, I raised myself from my chair and held my chin high, forcing my face into an impassive expression. The Dark Lord floated around the room, inspecting his choices for the mission and when he had finished, he paused and threw my father and I a direct, terrifying stare.

"Lucius, you should run along now and inform your wife that you have caused your son to leave the safety of Malfoy Manor."

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Ryuu

I'd told the others privately that Reeah had simply panicked when she heard about the war, and had been running around the countryside ever since. Thankfully, because they had never known her and because of my expert lying skills, they accepted the story and didn't question it any further.

When we reached the edge of the Hogwarts shield, Harry produced a patronus and a couple of minutes later, Lupin arrived to help us in. While he was walking us back to the castle, he scolded Harry the entire time for in his own words: "Leaving Dumbledore and the rest of the castle in a right panic." Apparently, Snape had been sent out to find us and bring us back, and at that Harry had given me a glance with raised eyebrows.

Once we were inside, and had eaten some _real_ food- after five days of living off mushrooms and squirrels- Reeah asked Lupin about her sister. I walked with her to the Hospital Wing because she didn't know where the Room of Requirement was.

When we entered, I was happy to see that the majority of the beds were empty. Tonks strode over to assist us. Her pregnancy was really showing now. She guided us to the right bed and then her and I left Reeah and her sister with some privacy. I leaned against the opposite wall, observing with impolite interest.

Reeah's sister was suffering from an assortment of broken bones all over her body. She'd been clubbed by a troll during the last Raid and had miraculously survived, but was still in a lot of pain. As soon as she caught sight of Reeah, she raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "What are you doing here?"

Reeah moved to sit down in a comfy chair beside the bed and placed her hands in her lap nervously. "I've come to apologise."

The sister's eyes narrowed. "Are you _really_ sorry?"

Reeah nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry."

After a long, quiet moment the sister nodded. "Apology accepted."

Reeah burst into tears and threw her arms around her sister in a light embrace so that she didn't break any more of her bones. She was mumbling about how grateful she was, and her sister merely sat there, smiling and patting the top of her head.

When I returned to my room, I fell onto the comfort of my bed, only to feel that I'd fallen on top of something. I sat up and almost screamed. The house elf emerged from under the covers and threw her arms around my neck.

"Madam Ryuu! You've returned! You've returned! Tibbli has been so worried about you!"

"I- Tibbli- _What the hell?!"_

"Madam went away! Tibbli was terrified for her Madam!"

Tibbli jumped into a lopsided embrace and for a moment I sat on my quilt cover, stunned. Then I gently pulled the elf from around my neck and looked into her large sunshine coloured eyes. Dusk sprang up on to the bed beside me, and nudged me with his forehead; a gesture that demanded immediate attention. I distractedly stroked behind his ears to his unfathomable delight as I continued to look down at Tibbli with surprise. "You were worried about me?" I repeated.

Tibbli nodded. "Tibbli came to clean Madam's room when she noticed that Madam's bed hadn't been touched and that the shower hadn't been used. Tibbli searched the castle, looking everywhere for Madam, but Madam was nowhere to be found!"

"Why were you in my bed?" I asked quickly.

"Tibbli thought she would change the sheets for Madam – in case Madam Ryuu came back." the elf squeaked.

I considered the elf. It was only now when I actually thought about it that I realised I rather liked having her around. I tried to stifle a yawn, but failed. My eyelids drooped, I was so tired."Well, I suppose… thanks Tibbli." I said awkwardly. "Um… I'm going to go to sleep now."

"Oh! Tibbli will not disturb Madam then!" She scampered down from the bed and scurried towards the door. Before she left, she turned back and grinned. "Tibbli will bring Madam some pumpkin juice in the morning!"

I was about to decline her offer, before I realised that I would immensely enjoy waking up to pumpkin juice.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was sleeping._

_She dreamed of many things, silly things that only worked in the lands of subconsciousness. She was riding on the back of a dragon, a beautiful glittering beast of a silvery colour. The wings beat powerfully at the air around it, and the world below zoomed past. The girl dropped down to look at the face of the dragon, but as she did she lost her balance and began to fall!_

_She screamed out for help, but the dragon could not hear. She plummeted down, down towards the ground that had seemed so insignificant only moments prior. _

_But then the girl was struck with an idea. If her safety would not come to her, she'd just have to provide her own. With an incredible ease, the girl curled into a tight ball. This made her fall faster, but as soon as she had unfurled, she had sprouted the wings of a dragon._

_She caught herself a mile above the ground and grinned. This was marvellous. Who could stop her now? She could do whatever she pleased._

_The most terrible things about dreams is waking up._

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A/N: So, Reeah's story is out. Did any of you guys pick it? I'm interested to know…


	33. Chapter 11 - Encounter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: In this chapter, things start to change drastically. FYI, this is also one of my favourites. Hope you love it!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 11 – Encounter

Ryuu

Dennis and I ate in silence. He still hadn't completely forgiven me for running out to find Ron without informing him. He'd thought I'd mimicked Zach, and even though I'd apologised _twice,_ which was a huge feat considering that I never admitted to being wrong, he was still holding a subtle grudge. I sipped at my morning pumpkin juice. For some reason, Tibbli hadn't left a goblet beside my bed like she had been for the past two weeks. I wasn't concerned – except for the thought that she might be sick.

"Miss Veil."

The voice was too familiar to be startled about. I returned my goblet to the table and looked up to meet the ink black eyes of Severus Snape. "Yes?"

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you," he said silkily.

"Okay," I replied, and picked up my cutlery to cut my bacon.

"Immediately." Snape's tone was final.

I grimaced and threw Dennis a glance that told him that I'd rather spend time with him. He nodded, and smiled slightly when I sighed and said, "See ya later Den."

I followed Snape from the Great Hall a few feet behind him. He walked quickly, his robes billowing around him like the cape of a badass. I hastened to match his stride, but my short legs could barely keep up. When we reached the statue of the griffin in the oh-so-familiar corridor, he stopped. _"Strawberry éclair,"_ Snape spat. I smirked at the childish password and watched as the griffin jumped aside to reveal a hidden staircase spiralling upwards. And without further ado, Snape span on his heel and strode back the way he had come.

I rolled my eyes and climbed the staircase. At the top was a door, and I knocked to hear Dumbledore's voice say, "Come in, Miss Veil."

His office was the same as it had been last year, underneath all the layers of parchment that showered every surface. Maps of Hogwarts were stacked up in one corner of the room; on the other was a table full of names. They had been ordered into classifications of Cats. _Ashera, Bengal, Cheshire… _My eyes drifted across the many green inked species, until I reached _Sphinx. _Sure enough, the second name below it was my own. The fourth and last on the list – _Hermione Jean Granger_ - had a small red hand beside it. When I broadened my view of the graph, I noticed that there were many red blobs beside people's names and also quite a few black crosses.

"Please sit down."

Dumbledore's voice was pleasant and conversational. I walked across to the chair in front of his desk and sat, watching him trying to feed what looked like a prune to his phoenix. After several failed attempts Dumbledore finally succumbed to defeat, shrugged, and plopped the prune in his own mouth. He then turned to me with a kind smile. "Why, I daresay that you have changed dramatically since the last time you sat in that chair."

I turned my head to look at a reflective silver object to the left of me. A thinner, paler girl with longer blonde ringlets than I remembered having, stared back. My eyes still looked like my mother's, but were colder. I returned my attention to Dumbledore. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Whenever I sat in Dumbledore's gaze I always felt like a pupil to his analysis.

The eyes behind the semi-circle spectacles twinkled. "Before we continue, I think it is polite to ask if there is anything _you_ wish to discuss with me?"

I suddenly remembered the first time I'd come into Dumbledore's office and glanced around the room. Sure enough, there was the Pensieve nestled on the windowsill, the strange, misty liquid substance wafting around the rim. "Just two questions," I began. "Last year, I asked you how memories get into the Pensieve," I motioned towards the bowl as Dumbledore smiled warmly. "And you said that you'd tell me another time if I asked you again..."

The old man regarded me kindly. "I admire your recollection Miss Veil. I can assume that you yourself may never need a Pensieve," he chuckled and I waited. "You're quite right, and I will answer you. There are three ways to administer a memory into a Pensieve." Dumbledore raised a slender finger. "Firstly, by magically extracting your own thoughts with a wand and placing them immediately within the Pensieve. Secondly," another finger arose, "by scavenging a memory from another and storing it somewhere safe until you observe the memory in the Pensieve, and lastly, by forcefully using the Pensieve without using magic."

I blinked in confusion at his last sentence and Dumbledore calmly elaborated. "This last instance can only work in rare circumstances; when a witch or wizard is overcome with the emotion of the memory and in the presence of a Pensieve. They can then, wandlessly and quite commonly, accidentally, harness the power of the Pensieve and cause a direct re-illusion," he paused as my eyes narrowed, "meaning that even without placing themselves or the memory within the Pensieve they can relive the moment in which the memory reciprocates."

"Huh…" I looked over at the Pensieve, reminding myself that I'd have to look more into the magical object.

"And now," Dumbledore said, interrupting my thoughts, "I believe you have a second question."

I cocked an eyebrow. _"Strawberry éclair?"_

The old man chuckled. "I have taken quite a fancy to muggle sweets." He reached inside his pocket and produced a small velvet bag. As he undid the string fastening it, his periwinkle blue eyes gleamed. "Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"

I shook my head. "I think it polite to ask if there is anything _you_ wish to discuss with me?"

Dumbledore surveyed me with interest, before he reached into the bag and pulled out not a sherbet lemon, but a fat gold galleon. He flicked it into the air and I caught it in my open palm. Written upon the coin, as if engraved upon the surface, where the words: _Madam Malkin's._

_Again? _I rubbed my thumb along the face of the coin. _I thought they had stopped._

"They have been active since the First Raid." Dumbledore said simply. I shuddered; it was like he had read my mind. "Except that there are more calls now than ever before."

I placed the coin on his desk. "I assume that the reason you're telling me this is because you know what I make of the coin dilemma?"

Dumbledore nodded. "You are very intuitive Miss Veil. You have easily thought of the possibility that this is a trap planned by the Death Eaters." Whatever he was trying to convey, he knew how to get on my good side. The praise was already making me flush. "However, others are not as convinced. They think that we should answer these calls, no matter what."

I frowned. "But – surely they don't believe that there are actual people out there calling for help?"

"They will believe what we want to believe."

I crossed my arms and leaned back into the chair. "That kind of thinking is going to get them killed."

"I will not allow insulting of any kind to occur in my office." Dumbledore said smoothly, and without scolding.

"I'm not insulting;"I assured him, with steady eyes. "I'm merely describing."

Dumbledore and I shared a lengthy stare. I could see that he wasn't pleased about my attitude, but he knew I was being logical. I held eye contact until he lowered his to the coin. He twirled it through his fingers, and stared at it intently. "I understand your reasoning, and I respect it," he paused, "but leadership is a funny thing. The voice of the people must be respected by the mind of the leader, for he cannot guide them by force; but by understanding." He flicked his wrist and the galleon spun on his knuckle.

I smirked. "Wise words." I cleared my throat. "Didn't Einstein say something similar?"

The galleon paused in its twirling and Dumbledore surveyed me carefully. "Oh yes… I quite forgot about you muggle heritage." There was an awkward pause before the galleon slipped to the tip of his finger and he held it up in front of his crooked nose. "But, moving on. A majority of the Cats are voting to seek out the galleon holders. As I understand it, several have even left the castle in the hope of finding them themselves. We need to be certain of exactly _who_ is sending these messages."

I sighed. "Let me guess. You want to use me to find out?"

Dumbledore clicked his fingers and the galleon disappeared. He folded his hands upon the desk in front of him. "You would be _essential_ to the mission. You have the fighting capabilities, you are quick thinking and stealthy, _and_ because you firmly stand by your opinions, you will be careful of the possibility of a trap."

I leaned forward and tapped my fingers on the desk. "Well, I am all those things." I said smugly. "But I'm also _sixteen._ Why don't you send someone more qualified?"

"Three reasons." Dumbledore held up three long, wrinkled fingers, I began to get the feeling that he did this with just about everything. "One – you already have all the qualifications necessary." He lowered one finger. "Two – My other considerations are all emotionally attached to the idea of people calling for help with the galleons, because they have handed them out to family members themselves. The mission could be easily turned into a "rescue mission" and that often leads people to be easily fooled." He lowered a second finger. "And three – I have complete faith in you, Miss Veil." The last finger dropped as his smile appeared.

I stopped tapping my fingers on his desk and narrowed my eyes. "Maybe I will do it…" I muttered, before I fired some more pressing questions at him. "Where will I be going?"

"Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley."

"What time?"

"Tomorrow. Five in the afternoon precisely."

"How will I get there?"

"Apparation by elf. I've already organised it."

"Who will be going with me?"

"Two of our finest. Mr. Craig and Mr. Toolem will be sure to not leave your side during the mission."

"If the mission goes wrong-"

"-Mr. Craig has been given a device which will enable him to contact us immediately. Your elf will also be able to apparate from within Diagon Alley, even if the Death Eaters have placed wards there."

I paused and mulled this over, before asking my final question."What's in it for me?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and I suspected that he had expected me to ask this. "A promotion. If you embark on this mission, you will receive the title of "Colonel" hence placing you in charge of the Sphinx Squad _and_ giving you the right to command other Squads that are below your level."

_Colonel Veil? Well, it certainly sounds right. _I paused. _Am I willing to risk my life for this mission?_ My immediate answer was "no," but I forced myself to think about it more thoroughly. If I came back with the results, and I was right about the trap, then many lives could be saved. _But what about my own life? I could be captured, if I'm not quick enough._ I thought of Hermione, and a pulsing anger coursed through me. If she was in my position right now, I knew what she would decide. And no matter how much my survival instincts screamed at me to do otherwise, I couldn't forgive myself if I caused more people to be trapped if I could prevent it now. I knew what Luna would do; and my sister's last instructions to me had been to: 'keep going.' If doing this wasn't keeping going than I didn't know what was.

Taking a calming breath, I stood up. "Deal. I'll do it."

Dumbledore beamed. "Excellent. I'm very proud of you Miss Veil."

"I'm going to need that galleon." I said, holding out my palm.

Dumbledore nodded, and approached me. He reached behind my ear, and for a moment I stilled before he produced the shiny golden coin. He chuckled at my surprised expression. "Things don't always appear how we expect them to."

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Draco

Unchanged as it had been for the past hour, the street in front of Madam Malkin's remained empty. I shifted my position on the roof top. It was tiring, remaining still in such uncomfortable places. My back was wedged against a chimney and my legs were dangling down each side of the pointed roof. My shuffling resulted in a disapproving scold from Barnes, who was daring for a Snatcher. "Do you think that if you keep moving around, those Hogwarts freaks won't notice you?" he snapped.

"Yes. Because none of them are here." I replied smartly. "Besides, we're all under concealment charms. Even if there was anyone here, they wouldn't see us."

Even though it was difficult to see, I assumed Barnes was rolling his eyes. "Maybe you should go back to the base, Malfoy."

I snapped my head towards the general direction in which his voice was coming from. "Maybe you should be reminded of your place, _Snatcher._ I'm in charge of you here. I've been rostered on until midnight, and I intend to go back no sooner."

Barnes didn't reply, and although I had argued with him, I actually would've been grateful to return to Diagon Alley's HQ. Olivanders wasn't much in the perspective of a living space, but at least there I could rest. But I knew I couldn't. Besides the reassurances of my father, I understood the real meaning behind me being stationed here. The Dark Lord had not forgotten Father's mistake at Gringotts, and I had a horrible feeling that killing me would be a prime revenge.

Barnes grunted as he murmured under his breath about my dismissal of his opinions. I sighed. "Quiet Barnes. Do you think that if you keep making noises, those Hogwarts freaks won't notice you?"

Barnes didn't take too well to mockery.

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Ryuu

When I told Dennis where I was going, his walnut coloured eyes widened in fright."No, Ryuu! You _can't!_ Please don't go! First Zach, now you!" he pulled me towards him in a bone-crushing hug. He was a lot musclier than I remembered. Caught off guard, I awkwardly patted his back.

"It'll be fine, Den," I lied. Still, he didn't let go. "Listen, it's just a quick mission. I'll be back in no time. And I've got two buff guys watching my back the whole time, plus a house elf to get me out of there." Dennis didn't release me. "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to do what Zach did, okay? I promise that I'll come back."

"You promise?" He let go of me, so that he could see if I was lying. I smiled. He knew me too well.

I put on the most assured face I could muster. "Promise."

Dennis seemed to accept this and relinquished his hold on my shoulders. He looked at me one last time, his eyes shining before he turned and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight I regretted my words. I knew now that if I didn't return, Dennis will have lost everything. _So, you must return, _whispered a voice in the back of my head, and I nodded to myself.

That afternoon, I met Craig and Toolem. Craig was a tall man with heavy eyebrows and strong arms. His voice was a deep Scottish accent that made me feel comforted when he spoke directly to me. Toolem was thin and lanky, his sandy hair clashing intriguingly with his tanned skin. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. I didn't have a problem with him until the moment when I had sneezed and he'd said "Bless you, Ryuu!" and then laughed for a suspiciously long time because of the unintentional rhyme.

Lupin arrived shortly before we were supposed to leave and hung around at the back of the empty classroom. It was obvious that he was waiting for the opportune moment to strike, so as I was fastening my hood to my gear, I strolled over to the window alone. Lupin sidled along to stand beside me and smiled uncomfortably. I clipped the hood on and pulled it over my hair. As I was tightening the leather strap around my wrist, he spoke."You nervous?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Terrified."

Lupin nodded sideways, and I instantly cheered up. "All you need to remember is to be quick." He advised. "Don't give them the chance to get near you."

I nodded. _I will not hesitate. _"Thanks Professor." I smirked.

He opened his mouth to tell me not to call him that and then closed it again. "You're welcome Ryuu." With a fleeting glance, Lupin threw me a sad smile and patted me on the shoulder. Then he left. Absurdly, I wished he would turn back once more, but he didn't.

The feeling that people were coming to say their last goodbyes did nothing to help my anxiety. I wiggled my fingers underneath my gloves and breathed deeply. I did this for several minutes, and then untied and retied my hair in a tight ponytail three times. Just as my mind was beginning to clear, the door opened and Dumbledore walked in with a familiar creature following him.

"Tibbli?" I said.

She ran forwards and grabbed my hands in her tiny grasp. "Tibbli is going with Madam. When Dumbledore asked, Tibbli was the first to volunteer!"

I didn't know whether to thank her or not, when Dumbledore interrupted. "Please, could I have everybody's attention?" I walked to stand beside Craig and Toolem. "This mission is of the upmost importance. At its close, we will know more, not only of our families, but also of our enemies plots."

"_No pressure!"_ Toolem said loudly, and laughed at his own joke for twelve full seconds. Nobody else cracked a smile. I rolled my eyes.

Dumbledore smiled at all of us individually. "I personally would like to thank you for having the courage take part in this mission. Your service and bravery will not be undervalued or forgotten."

The room was deathly quiet. This sounded too much like a eulogy. Dumbledore seemed to sense this and nodded towards Tibbli. "Would you ready them, Tibbli?" The elf hurried forward, and grasped a hold of my hand. With the other she took Toolem's and Craig was left to clutch awkwardly at her tiny shoulder. We all looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"Good luck," he said simply.

Before I could fully react to the crushing, condensed whirl of apparation, we were standing in the middle of Diagon Alley. Cobblestones stretched out on the road in front of us, and empty stores lined our sides. Everything was grey; the shops, the ground, the sky. I shivered as icy blast of wind that didn't seem natural whipped my face.

"_Quick!" _Craig hissed, as he tugged the rest of us into the shadows. I followed, and we leaned against the front of a shop, peering through the window. Inside was a mess. Toppled shelves lay strewn across the floor, and many of the broomsticks that I could only guess used to be sold there were snapped into pieces.

"Why did you bring us here?" Toolem asked the elf with narrowed eyes.

"Tibbli cannot apparate into the shops of Diagon Alley, sir." Her golden eyes gleamed. "There is some magic so ancient that even Tibbli cannot penetrate it. Tibbli has gotten you as close as she could."

Craig was poking his head out from the shadows to glance down the street. "It's hard to tell where we are with all the buildings boarded up." He moved back into the darkness and looked at me. "Veil, what do you think?"

My eyes swept our surroundings. Nothing appeared familiar. A large building with four floors sat directly across from us, and something triggered at the edge of my memory, but before I could figure it out I lost it. "Well," I began, "Madam Malkin's is on the North Side of Diagon Alley, so all we need to do is find North."

"No problem." Toolem grinned. He pointed his wand out in front of him and whispered, _"Point me."_ The wand swayed to the right and stopped. "This way," he said and led us along the shadows at the edge of the street. We ducked in and out from the hanging eaves over the doorways of shops, sticking to the darkness. I familiarised myself with our footsteps; Craig's heavy clunks, Toolem's rare shuffles, my slinking step and Tibbli's tapping feet.

When we reached a corner, Craig held out a hand to stop us and pointed at a shop across the road. It looked as shabby and battered as all the others, but a peeling crimson sign caught my eye. At the bottom I could just make out the words: "_Robes for all occasions" _in flowing yellow script.

We each gave a sharp nod to show that we had understood, and then Toolem quickly ran across the street and flattened himself against the front of the shop. Craig grabbed Tibbli and did the same. Once they were all in position, I took a deep breath and sprang into plain sight.

Heart beating fast, I made it to the other side before I breathed again. It had been an exhilarating and frightening moment. Now, I shifted around to the door of the shop and looked back at the others. Toolem gave me the 'thumbs up,' and Craig grasped his wand firmly. I took another deep breath and pointed my wand at the door, which was still intact.

"_Alohomora."_ I breathed, and the lock clicked. The sound seemed to echo through the empty street, like my racing pulse did through my ears. I grasped the handle, and before I could stop myself, threw the door open.

A fist sailed through the darkness and slammed into my right eye. I was knocked off my feet, into the bulk of Craig, who had already non-verbally stunned my attacker. Toolem hurried forward into the room and seized the man by his collar, pressing his wand to his throat.

"No, please! I didn't know! I thought you were Death Eaters! Please, I'm on your side, _I'm on your side_!" mumbled the man.

I sagged against Craig, my senses blanketed with a dull fuzz. My ears were ringing and my eye was hurting badly. I felt myself being hoisted into the room and heard the door closing softly behind me, and then I was propped onto a table. Toolem and the man were still speaking in whispers; once my eye felt like it could open I got a better look at him.

He was short, chubby and presumably over the age of fifty. His skin was a waxy yellowy colour and his chin stuck outwards in a peculiar fashion. He was wearing robes that had been brutally torn in some places. His jacket was completely ruined, and I could see his chest. There were large slashes on his sleeves. He had wiry brown hair that was greying and flopped over his eyes. His beard twitched as he struggled to explain himself.

"Thank Merlin you answered this!" he held up a galleon. "I've been signalling for weeks, and I thought you'd never come. My niece gave me this. She's a lovely girl, and she wanted to make sure I was going to be okay at home." His eyes flickered nervously to Toolem's wand which was now pointing at his chest. "My name is Bones. Edgar Bones."

Toolem lowered his wand and Edgar relaxed. He looked over to where I sat, covering half my face with my hand. "I'm very sorry about your eye. I lost my wand when I ran away, and those Death Eaters have been visiting Diagon Alley recently. You can never be too careful."

Craig checked his watch. "Okay. Well, we have to get you out of here. C'mon, we'll go out into the street-"

"-No! Wait, just a moment!" Edgar whispered desperately, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I gripped my wand tighter and slid from the table. "There are others. Here in Diagon Alley. I've seen them, we were going to stay together but that way it's easier for the Death Eaters to find you."

Toolem spoke up, still keeping his voice low. "Where?"

"I think I saw one near Flourish and Blotts, and another near Olivanders." Edgar said, and this time I actually pointed my wand at him. He'd said it too fast, almost mechanically. It sounded rehearsed.

"I don't trust him." I stated. Edgar looked at me pleadingly, but I didn't flinch.

"Why not?" Toolem asked.

"I think he's lying."

"I'm not, I swear!" Edgar hissed. "Please, little miss. I mean you no harm." He raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

The words "Little Miss" triggered bad memories. I scowled. There was something about him, I was sure of it. Something he'd said that didn't fit. I just couldn't figure it out.

"Veil." Craig said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "He's just an old man. He hasn't even got a wand."

"Yeah," Toolem agreed. "You're just a bit paranoid because he punched you in the face." He chuckled, and I threw him a death glare.

"Listen, Miss… Veil, is it?" Edgar said anxiously. He held out his hands in front of me. "If you're so cautious, then maybe you'll take me as your prisoner. I don't mind. I've got nothing to hide. I just want to get myself and those other people out of here." His eyes were sincere, but his willingness to offer himself as a captive made me suspect him even more.

Craig hissed from beside me. "See? He's harmless."

I scoffed. That _harmless_ man had just clobbered me in the eye. Toolem conjured ropes from his wand and wound them around Edgar's hands. Edgar didn't falter at all, and waited until Toolem had finished. Once he had, everyone looked at me expectantly. I realised that I was acting irrationally, but there was something I was _missing_ and I didn't like it.

"Fine." I spat. I pointed at Edgar. "You walk in front of me. One dodgy move and I swear I'll kill you." Toolem and Craig looked at me in shock. Tibbli moaned. But Edgar didn't look startled at all.

We formed a line. Craig and Tibbli at the front, Toolem second, Edgar third, and me at the very back. As one, we moved into the street, continuing to stick to the shadows, while Craig tried to find his way to Flourish and Blotts. My wand never left Edgar's back. My mind rummaging through scratchy memories. _What is it, what is it? There's something I'm failing to notice, but what?_

Suddenly, it hit me. Where I had heard Edgar's name before. He'd been in the Quibbler along with his sister, who was Susan Bone's mother. He'd been the second name in the Obituaries.

Edgar Bones was dead.

I stared at the back of the man who I knew nothing about, and realising every detail of his plan. He shifted in his bonds and through a cut in his sleeve I saw the tip of a tattoo on his arm. The head of an inked serpent. Part of the Dark Mark.

I gasped and swished my wand through the air, but before I could say the curse that I'd promised upon him, a streak of green light flashed in front of my eyes, missing my nose by inches.

Without hesitation, I sprang into cover, behind the bulk of the imposter. The second killing curse hit him instead and with a cry of surprise he fell to the ground, dead. There were thuds, and I looked up to see four cloaked figures landing on the other side of the street. They'd jumped from the rooftops. Craig fired a golden spell at one of them, but it was easily deflected by his target. The figures moved so fast, that I barely saw their hands move. The next thing I knew, two silver nets were flying towards Craig and Toolem, and I saw them becoming entangled, the net tightening around their bodies.

"MADAM!" A squeaky voice cried, and I turned to see another net rushing through the air towards me.

"_Bombarda Maxima!"_ I screeched, but my target – the net – didn't explode. The shop behind it did. The windows smashed and several of the bricks came loose. One of them struck a Snatcher on the head that hadn't been quick enough to jump out of the way. Simultaneously, as he fainted, the net that he'd been controlling stopped and flopped to the ground; lifeless.

As the other Snatchers tried to get up, I turned on my heel and sprinted. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to run – fast. My feet pelted across the timber floor as I rushed through a shop and exited through the back door onto a different street. I could hear the Snatchers following. I dashed into a side alley and hoped that it wasn't a dead end.

Just as I was rounding a corner, I fired a paralysis jinx behind me. Out of sheer luck, it connected to one of the Snatchers and he fell down. Only two left now. I kept running, I couldn't risk that again too soon, or the Snatchers would catch up. I heard the pattering of Tibbli's little feet behind me. She was running fast for an elf.

I stopped in my tracks. _An elf._

"Tibbli, you can apparate out of here!"

The house elf slammed into my calf and bent over, gasping for breath. "Y… yes! Tibbli can!"

Just as I was about to grasp the elf's hand a net sprang through the air and fastened around her. I looked up in shock to see one of the Snatchers standing at the end of the alleyway, reaching at his belt for another net. While he was, the net carrying Tibbli was drawn back to his waist and swung from side to side as it connected with his belt.

"_Everte Statum!" _I yelled, and the Snatcher was knocked from his feet, landing on his back. I hurried over to the man. He was blinking dazedly. _ I will not hesitate. _I winced and slashed my wand to deliver the final blow. And then, too easily, the Snatcher was dead.

I knelt down beside the net holding the elf. She kept mumbling about how I needed to get away, but I didn't listen. _"Diffindo."_ I said, pointing my wand at the thick silver coils that the net consisted of. But the wire didn't break. I panicked. I couldn't hear anyone coming but I knew that there was one more Snatcher out there somewhere.

"Tibbli mustn't be taken, no she mustn't! Madam doesn't realise what Tibbli has done!"

"Shhh!" I snapped. I didn't want the elf to cause attention.

I pulled one of the Snatcher's knives from his belt. Holding it carefully, so as not to harm the elf, I hacked at the woven wires. They were thick, and the knife wasn't even denting them.

"Madam is Tibbli's _master!"_ she squeaked, tears streaming from her honey coloured eyes. "Tibbli did not mean to do it, but Madam saved Tibbli's life! If Tibbli is caught, she will not tell about Madam, but if she is tortured enough, she will reveal all the other secrets about Hogwarts, and Dumbledore's plans!"

For a few seconds, I lowered the knife and stared at the elf, reality sinking in. Tibbli had given her loyalties to _me,_ and not to Harry Potter. That meant that if the Death Eaters told her to, she could betray _Harry._

If I didn't get Tibbli out of this net, everything was going to fall to shit.

I tried to cut the net off of the belt, because cutting through the coils clearly wasn't working. I could hear footsteps approaching quickly, and I gouged at the bonds with the blade, but no matter what I did, they would not sever.

"Dammit!" I cursed, and looked into the eyes of the elf. "Tibbli, the net is magically enhanced, I can't get you out." An idea sprang to me, and my eyes widened. "Try apparating out of the net! Go! Now!"

The elf squeezed her eyes shut, but she didn't disappear. When she opened them, she was crying even more. "Tibbli cannot do it Madam!" she banged her fists against her skull as a form of self punishment.

"Stop!" I hissed, because I could hear the sound of the last Snatcher getting nearer. _Thud, thud, thud, thud. _Their footsteps matched the hurried pace of my heart. "I'm going to get you out of here, Tibbli."

The elf smiled. "Madam is kind. Oh yes, Madam is very good and kind." The elf reached upwards out of the net, and splayed her fingers out towards me. "TIBBLI WILL PROTECT HER MADAM!"

With one swift movement, she grabbed the blade of the knife in my hand and sunk it into her own chest. Her eyes flashed yellow, before all life vanished and the elf slumped against the weapon that had killed her. I pulled the knife from her body- as if that would help- and stared down at the small limp form.

For a few seconds I knelt there, processing all that had happened in the last minute. Then, I sprang to my feet and ran down the alleyway, clumsily sliding the bloodied knife into my boot, in a feeble attempt to banish it from my sight.

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Draco

I bolted past the body of the Snatcher I'd only spoken to once. That was another one down. I added him to the list. _Barnes: unconscious from the explosion. Carlos: unknown. Liam: dead. _Now it was just me.

My eyes caught sight of the tip of the runner's shoe vanishing around the corner. I followed, knowing that I'd catch up. They were only ahead because of the time advantage. I was a faster sprinter than they were. I rounded the corner to see that I'd come out into a street. The figure was just swerving into the broken window of a shop.

"_Stupefy!"_ I yelled and they were thrown through the air, landing in a heap in the middle of the road. I sprinted up to them, just as they clambered back up, and pointed their wand at me.

Suddenly, I tripped, but as I was going down I reached out to grab them. I caught hold of a green neck tie that was knotted around their waist and they stumbled down with me. I jumped back up before they could react. Their wand was out of their hand, but attached to their wrist by a small length of cord. They were about to flick it towards them, but I stepped on the strap with my boot. Fists punched at me, puncturing my energy. I choked as a harsh punch was targeted at my stomach, and their hands slid towards their right boot. I reached down to them and forced their struggling hands onto the road beside their head. They grunted, and kicked at my leg with such force that I staggered backwards, my hood slipping down the back of my neck.

I gathered myself and turned to face my opponent again, but they were still huddled on the ground. I raised my wand, but quick as a flash their hand flew upwards, not to fire a spell, but to remove their hood, revealing their face.

I stopped.

This was a dream. Surely this wasn't real. She couldn't be here. Not her. _But she is. _Her hair was flopping down over her eyes, the way it did just to frustrate me. She was sickly pale, whether it was from seeing me was uncertain. Her eyes were their usual deep emerald and analysing, but one of them had blackened and I felt a stab of anger towards the unknown bastard who had struck her. She was frozen in place, breathing rapidly, unable to avert her eyes from my face. I imagined I was no different.

All around us was complete silence as we simply stared at each other in amazement, shock and fear. What did we do now? I couldn't move. She looked just as numb as I was. I remembered our last encounter, and I felt a violent urge to warp my hands around her neck, but also to embrace her in my arms. What felt like an eternity passed before one of us spoke.

"Ryuu." I croaked.

Her eyes widened at the sound of her name, and I'm sure that mine did as well. It felt like I hadn't said it in years. I knew that I had to say more words, but I'd forgotten what they meant and how to say them. All I could fathom was the fact that Ryuu was here, she was right in front of me. Ryuu was here, at my feet, and I had to do something.

Suddenly, the noises of the real world reached my ears. Footsteps, running, fast. It seemed Barnes had woken up, or Carlos was getting nearer. An inexplicable conundrum hit me, and before I could even think about making the decision, the word poured from my mouth in a hoarse whisper.

"_Run!"_

She didn't need telling twice.

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Ryuu

I ran.

I hardly believed that possible because of the numbness I felt all over. My legs seemed to move of their own accord, but I didn't even bother to flick my wand back into my hand. How could I when I'd left all conscious thought back in the middle of that street? I vaguely realised _why_ I was running and ducked into an abandoned shop, listening for the sounds of any of the other Snatchers trying to find me. But everything had gone silent. Nothing moved in Diagon Alley.

I hugged myself as I leaned against the wall of the dark, empty room. _He let me go. _I kept on seeing his face when he had said my name. His eyes were sunken and his jawbones more pronounced. He'd looked unhealthily thin. But it was Draco. And he had let me go.

I knew I couldn't possibly mull this over now, when I was still in danger. I forced his eyes from my thoughts and instead thought about escape plans. Whatever device Dumbledore had given to Craig was now gone. The streets were crawling with Snatchers who were hunting me. Tibbli was… I bit my lip. Dead. I didn't know how to apparate and I wouldn't have been able to in Diagon Alley anyway. Only elves can do that. _I don't have a Portkey. I don't have a broomstick…_

I only had one more hope. But was I lucky enough? I highly doubted it.

I stood and searched the shop. It looked like it had once been a home to many owls, judging by all the feathers that littered the ground. I rummaged through broken chairs and rusty cages until my eyes rested upon a large table in the corner of the room. I walked over to it and dragged it away from the fireplace it was blocking. I reached inside the grate and retrieved the pieces of junk that blanketed the bottom. I shrieked when I pulled out a small skull, and was careful to look inside the fireplace before I braved sticking my hand in again.

Finally, the fireplace was cleared. The sun was dipping down, soon it would be dark. If this didn't work, I'd be trapped here overnight. The small pot was sitting inside a bolted rim on the side of the mantelpiece. My hand shaking with suspense, I placed my fingers onto the lid, and lifted it. Inside was a small clump of what looked like green sand. There was just enough Floo Powder for me to make it. I grinned in relief.

"_Incendio,"_ I hissed, pointing my wand at the fireplace. Although there was no firewood, flames burst into life above the grate.

I poured the contents of the pot into my palm and stepped into the fireplace. Crouching, I made sure that I spoke clearly. "The Three Broomsticks." I proclaimed, and threw the powder towards my feet.

I was engulfed in a whirl of green flames and confusion, before I came tumbling out of a fireplace and into a dining table. I groaned at my aching limbs and clumsily rose to my feet. I knew that I wouldn't make it to the Three Broomsticks, because all the fireplaces in Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were blocked. But, I had to get as close to Hogwarts as I could; I hoped that the Floo Network had done that.

I scanned the room. It was dimly lit, and the dining table I had just collided with was pushed back into an odd angle. The windows were open and I heard an owl hoot hauntingly from outside. A comfortable armchair sat to the left of me, and I was terribly tempted to curl up and sleep in it, but knew I should check the rest of the house first. I lifted my wand to cast when, at that very moment, the sharp jab of a wand pushed me in the back.

"Don't move," a gruff voice warned threateningly. "Now, nice and slowly, put your wand on the table, or I'll kill you right here and now."

I knew that voice. How could I not recognise that voice? An overwhelming urge to throw myself at the person coursed through me; but I remained calm, a grin spreading across my face.

"Alright, alright. Keep your non-existent balls in order."

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was alone._

_Well, not completely alone. Not when she had her friends to manipulate. The toys were lined up according to size, her large black bear in the lead all the way down to her small white rabbit. _

_She picked up the bear and inspected its lifeless eyes. Even though there was no entity within them, they still appeared kind. They were a yellow kind of colour, and the girl was reminded of the sun in the morning. As she placed the bear back in his place, she paused._

"_How strange…" she whispered._

_The rabbit had moved._

_The girl shifted over to the toy and flattened herself onto the ground so that she could look at the rabbit directly in the eyes. The girl had been certain that the rabbit had moved forward ever so slightly, as if teasing her._

_The girl didn't very much appreciate it when things teased her._

_She picked up the toy with curiosity. It appeared exactly the same as it had always been. A hand-made gift from her grandmother; fur as white as a frosted daisy petal, and grey eyes that gleamed mischievously. The girl experimentally squished the rabbit a tad. It made no sound of protest and remained lifeless. _

_The girl was not so easily fooled._

_She placed the rabbit back down on the floor and continued to play with her bear. She even turned her back on the rabbit, and pretended that the bear held her upmost attention. She waited for the sound, and grinned as she heard it. _

_She slowly placed the bear on the floor, and spun around to look at her line of favourite toys. The blue bird, the puppy and the lion were all as they had been before. The rabbit however, had again changed its position, this time so much so that it would've been obvious to any child. _

_And the girl wasn't just any child._

_She stood and inspected the space around her, until her emerald eyes rested on the curtain drawn across the window. It was the ideal vantage point – close enough to her toys to move them, but just far away so that it wouldn't appear too suspicious. _

_The girl strolled over to the curtain and pulled it aside. There was her father, laughing silently into his hand, acting oblivious to the fact that the girl had discovered him. She crossed her arms._

"_Daddy!" The girl said. "You're not allowed to play with my toys!" She proclaimed._

_Her father stopped laughing and put on a face of mock despair. "Why not?" he asked._

_The girl pouted, considering her father. "Fine." She concluded. "But only if I get to use the white rabbit."_

_Her father frowned. "But that's the best one."_

_The girl smiled dazzlingly. "Exactly."_

_While they were sharing the toys, the girl barely noticed that her father wasn't interested in playing with them in the slightest._

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A/N: Aaaah, Tibbli! Aaaah, Draco and Ryuu! Aaaah, Zach!


	34. Chapter 12 - The Lady

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Update, update, update! Yay, you get to read more of Zach in this chapter – who I love tremendously.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 12 – The Lady

Ryuu

I sensed Zach freezing in place behind me. For a few seconds the entire house was completely silent and the situation was clouded in an unbearable tension, before he spoke.

"_Ryuu?"_

I spun around and embraced him. "Zach!" I spluttered. "It's me! Geez – where on earth have you been?!" I could feel his hand in my hair. The vague smell of Firewhisky and earth. The warmth of his embrace.

"_Ryuu?"_

"So much has happened! I can't believe you're here! In _fact_, where is here?"

"…_Ryuu?!"_

I released him, and met his gaze, beaming. He still looked shocked at my sudden appearance, but I couldn't help it. It was Zach. Tall, dark haired, yellow eyed, sceptical, sarcastic, cowardly, wonderful, Zach. He was alive. All of the concern I'd been feeling for him dropped from my shoulders. Because he was _alive. _

He frowned, an expression that I'd thought I'd never see again. "What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

I scoffed. "It's great to see you too, Zach."

His golden eyes narrowed as he studied my face. They widened unexpectedly. "Hold on. What happened to your eye?!"

I reached up to touch the tender swelling around my eye gingerly. "Oh, that was some guy I met." As I noticed Zach's expression, I added, "Don't worry. He's dead now."

Somehow, this only made his eyebrows reach further up towards his hairline. He seemed lost for words, and I smiled at him awkwardly. After a while of opening and closing his mouth like a fish he blinked away the shock of the situation and cleared his throat.

"Okay," he began, "I think we have a lot to talk about."

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Telling Zach everything that had occurred since he had left Hogwarts was easier than I had imagined. One of the best qualities about Zach was that, when appropriate, he listened well, never interrupting or asking questions. It made me feel less guilty about the horrible things I was recounting to him. As I spoke, I carefully applied the salve he had given to me around my eye, healing the ugly bruise. When I was telling him about running away from Tibbli's body, I paused.

"…and I got away." I decided on the spot. "I found a fireplace and used Floo Powder to try and get to Hogwarts. I knew I wouldn't get there, but I had to try and get as close as possible."

Zach poured me a cup of tea from a chipped teapot. Usually I didn't care much for the drink, but at the moment I'd never tasted anything better. "Most of the fireplaces around the country have been blocked off. Death Eaters used them in the beginning to get into people's houses."

"So where exactly are we?" I asked.

"Far away from Hogwarts." He said. "We're not even in Scotland." I groaned and he smiled sadly. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes rimmed with genuine concern.

_No. _"Yes." I nodded. "I didn't get hurt that much. Just a few bruises." I indicated to my eye with a wan smile, even though I knew I hadn't given him the answer he had asked for.

"Ryuu, you know what I mean." Zach continued in a level tone. He leaned down to sit next to me on the plush couch and sprawled an arm over my shoulder. The contact felt comforting, and I realised how much I'd actually missed him. Although the house around me was injected with darkness, Zach's concern seemed to burn brighter than a star. "From what you've just told me – about the second raid and Tibbli…" he stopped. His voice had changed since the last time I had _really_ listened to it. Now, it was deeper, and held elements that I didn't understand, as if he was in on a joke that I had missed. Although, I knew that the reason was far more sinister than that.

I carefully put down my tea and stared at him. "What happened to you Zach? One minute you were there, and the next…" I stopped as he looked at his hands, his face etched with self-hatred. He placed the teapot on the old table and leaned back into the lounge, looking edgy.

Zach stared into the empty fireplace, contemplating. I assumed he was going to ignore the question just as I had ignore his before he began. "After Luna's funeral, I went up to her room."

"How?" I interrupted. "Doesn't Ravenclaw tower have a password?"

"I knew the answer to the riddle from when I had been visiting her recently." He elaborated unthinkingly, before blushing. "You know, because I was sick."

I nodded, deciding not to interrupt further. "Proceed."

"While I was in her room," he rummaged through the rucksack at his feet and produced a palm sized leather bound journal. "I found this." He placed the book in my outstretched hand.

I recognised the red cover instantly. I had given this to Luna for her thirteenth birthday. The memory hit me like a brick wall, and for several seconds I suppressed the urge to cry. Luna had kept this. Until the day that she'd died, she'd used something I had given her. My hands trembled as I opened to the first page and saw my hand written message on the inside.

_Hey Luna,_

_Remember how I told you that Zach spilled ink all over your diary? Well, I lied. That was me. And then remember how you got a new one and I borrowed it and you never got it back? Well, yeah I still haven't found it… but here's a new one to compensate. Happy birthday!_

_Love Ryuu._

_(P.S – Dennis still has your earrings.)_

I couldn't help laughing at this as I turned the page and looked over what Luna had written. To see her handwriting was so surreal, like I was revisiting a place I hadn't been to since I was a small child. Luna had filled most of the pages with her tiny scrawl. It was only after I began to read through them that I realised they weren't diary entries, but notes.

Puffvine

Sighting: England, Catchpole – in various areas of forestation.

Appearance – gold stems with light pink and purple leaves (usually soft to the touch)

I've noticed that they bloom all year round and are often visited by Puffskeins during the spring. I suspect that the Puffskeins have some form of relation to the plant, hence my naming choice. (See Pg. 33)

I stroked my thumb over the calligraphy and rifled through the numbered pages until I reached page thirty three. Upon the paper was an illustration of the plant. I'd never realised before that Luna could draw. The illustration was beautifully crafted, the leaves in heart shapes and the vine curling in upon itself. I flicked through the book and several other drawings caught my eye. Unusual looking fairies, mushrooms with eyes and moustaches, tear shaped figures with two legs running around in circles…

Feeling incredibly heavy with grief, I handed the book back to Zach, breathing out my disturbed feelings. These had been Luna's private creations. I didn't feel that it was my place to even be looking at them. Besides, the book brought back too many memories of her.

Zach stared intently at the cover. "Throughout this book, she talked about all of these creatures. You know, like Goltrups and Nargles and Wrackspurts."

I nodded. "Well, yeah. You know how she was." I smiled vaguely. "This is Luna we're talking about. Made-up myths were her expertise."

Zach shook his head and leaned forward, golden eyes flickering like flames. "They're real, Ryuu," he whispered, "they're _all_ real."

I surveyed him with a narrowed stare. "Have you taken a recent hit to the head?"

"Look at these," Zach continued madly, ignoring my remark entirely. He produced from his bag a jar containing two small critters. I recognised them as the tear shaped creatures Luna had drawn in her journal. They were a canary yellow colour, with purple legs. They were both standing in the middle of the jar, jiggling with nervousness. "Luna called them Sundrops. They don't eat, because they have no stomach, so therefore they evolved into having no mouth."

He pulled out one of the Sundrops and balanced it on his palm. It shifted to his fingertips, and I thought it would plunge to the floor, but it stopped before the edge, tilting its yellow body upwards as if observing me with interest. Although, I was paying less attention to the strange creature on Zach's palm, and more to the strange nature of my friends behaviour.

"Okay…" I began. "So you found a Sundrop. That doesn't mean that Luna wasn't a bit crazy." I paused, and looked at him warily. "And also that you're not going in the same direction…"

Zach returned the Sundrop to the jar and placed it back in his bag. He spoke distractedly, continuing not to notice my comments to my increasing infuriation. "As soon as I found her journal, I knew that I had to leave Hogwarts. I couldn't stay there anymore. Not after…" He looked into the empty fireplace again. I wanted to interrupt, but held my tongue.

"Nobody believed her." Zach stated bluntly. I bit my lip, and he met my gaze. "You know what I mean. They all called her Loony Lovegood. She acted like she didn't care; and maybe she didn't. But, she still deserved more than that."

_Oh Zach. True loyalty must be a trait that is well hidden_, I noted to myself.

"And the worst thing was… _I_ was one of those people. _I_ made fun of her too! Her friend." He appeared to be in an entirely different mindset now, and I dared not speak. "I know that you'll think me an idiot for leaving Hogwarts during the middle of a war to look for non-existent creatures, but that's what I did. And it turns out, Luna was right all along."

I poured myself another cup of tea and that seemed to wake him from his reverie. He stared at the teapot and continued. "I've been pin-pointing their locations with the use of the journal. Some days it wasn't easy to discover them, but I've worked my way through half of her recordings now." He grinned. "Some of the things I've seen Ryuu. These creatures – _they're amazing!"_

He toned down from his happy mood after a few seconds and became serious once more. "I realise that I shouldn't have left – especially without saying goodbye – but I had to do it…" his golden eyes met mine and for some reason I got a vivid image of his face when I had first met him. "…For Luna."

I placed my tea on the table and cleared my throat. "You shouldn't have left. Not in the way you did." I was trying to keep my voice level, but it was wavering from my anger. "You were gone. Just like that." I sunk my nails into the cushioned arm of the lounge. "I thought you were dead."

Zach looked away, obviously drowning in his own guilt. He didn't begin to apologize. He knew that his efforts would be futile with me. Perhaps Dennis would be more lenient, but not me. It took a lot more for me to forgive.

"But no matter how much I hate what you did," I began, suppressing a smirk as his eyes flickered upwards again in hope, "I can't help but love you for doing it."

Zach laughed to ease the tension and I found myself joining in after a few seconds. It was the oddest experience. Drinking tea with one of my most valued friends in the world, and laughing. It was almost as if we couldn't be killed at any moment.

It took us several minutes to settle down – I felt like I hadn't laughed in ten years and Zach seemed to mirror those feelings. Once we had returned to a normal tone, and finally succeeded in quieting ourselves in case anyone heard our presence, I looked Zach in the eye. "You know, I think despite whatever you may think, _you_ were Luna's true friend."

He stopped in his tracks at my choice of words and zoned out, probably thinking about the inscription he and Dennis had carved onto Luna's headstone. I let him mull this comment over and waited for his reaction. He grinned. "Geez Ryuu. Complimenting and helping people? What's gotten into you?"

I smirked. _"Me?_ An entire hour of conversation without you making a dirty remark towards me? What's gotten into _you?"_

Zach narrowed his eyes and flourished his wand to produce more tea in the teapot. "Ah, but the night has only_ just_ begun…" he replied in a teasing tone.

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Draco

I kneeled on the floor of the sitting room, barely containing the shudders that were threatening to consume me. My father had a similar expression plastered on his face as he knelt beside me, avoiding eye contact with the Dark Lord just like he had always told me. The Lord himself swooped around us like a patronising shadow, breathing us in, watching every miniscule detail of our composure slipping.

I didn't lift my eyes from the detailed pattern of the rug. _If I can focus on this, I can block Him out. _The thought pulsed through my head like an anthem, and I suspected it was the only thing keeping me sane. I clung to it, desperately blanking my mind from any thoughts of fear, and any memories of who I had encountered in Diagon Alley.

The snake coiled and writhed a few feet away from me, hissing and spitting as the Dark Lord waited. He had been furious when Barnes had confessed to what had happened. Death Eaters who had witnessed Barnes's end paled when I had asked about it.

And now, surely, I would die also.

"_Failures." _The Dark Lord spat. "Both of you have failed me."

I closed my eyes and waited for the pain, but the Lord continued speaking. His usual smooth tone jagged and short, as if he was stabbing at us with words rather than dragging them slowly along our throats.

"I admit that I expected…_better._ Especially from you, Lucius!" I jumped at the sudden loudness as he yelled my father's name. The Dark Lord paused as I moved so suddenly, and I knew he would kill me. I knew this was it.

_I… will die._

I could feel my heart hammering in my chest at a terrifyingly fast rate. Every breath that I made seemed to end sooner, as if I was wasting away already. But I knew it would be slow. Torturous. I carefully opened my eyes. I wanted to die looking at my murderer, directly, for the first and last time.

The Dark Lord's face was closer now, his head flicking backwards and forwards between us. "You have both cost me the lives of Death Eaters. And, you are both of my top ranks. I might have expected this from a _foolish _lower ranked Snatcher perhaps_."_ He stared directly at my father. "But I suppose, you are a fool, _Lucius_."

So my father would die first. I spared a glance at him from the corner of my eye.

"What were you _possibly_ thinking when you decided to retreat during the attack on Gringotts?" His tone suggested that he was sincerely asking him.

My father lowered his head further and after several unsuccessful attempts, finally managed to form shaky words. "I… don't…"

"You don't know?!" The Lord flicked his wand at my father and he sunk to the floor in agony. He cried out in pain as the torturing ensued within him, until finally, after what seemed hours, the curse was relinquished.

I didn't move, waiting for death. It would be soon. I could feel it.

The Lord stepped towards me, and after several long seconds of convincing myself, I raised my eyes to meet his. He hesitated, and grinned devilishly, enjoying the effect he was having. I couldn't believe what I was doing, but I knew it hardly mattered. Soon, nothing would.

"And what about you… _Draco?" _His dead eyes flashed dangerously. "As I hear it, you let one of them get away. That was wrong of you. That person will now go running back to Dumbledore and reveal our _plans!"_ He roared. I blanked my mind of Ryuu's terrified eyes. _"Why did you let them escape?" _ I'd never heard the Dark Lord harbour so much cold rage into one sentence.

I knew these would be my last words. For a moment I was completely dumbstruck of what to say. How could I make people remember me, when there was nothing to remember me by? A horrible lack of fulfilment washed through me as no response came to mind. All I could think about was the fact that if I died, no one would care.

No one except…

The Dark Lord snarled and turned His back on me. I choked on the unknown phrase that had been forming on my tongue. I'd missed my chance. _Maybe I'd never had a chance._

I looked up at the Lord as He raised His wand to point at me. Every nerve in my body shook, trembled for the last time. Although I knew I should have, I couldn't look at my father. I didn't want to. The only concept I could fathom was The Dark Lord's eyes on me, and the hope. The incomprehensible hope that I'd been denying for so long.

The hope that Ryuu was safe.

A jet of light flashed from the tip of the Lord's wand and struck me directly in the chest. My entire body froze where I kneeled, but my eyes remained open and aware. But I did not feel death. If there was one thing I knew, it was that I was alive. I could not move, but I was definitely present and living.

Shock mingled with confusion as I watched The Dark Lord flick his wand at my father, who also received a body-bind curse. Surely this was a trap. The beginning of the torture that would result in death. But my suspicions cleared as the Dark Lord drifted towards the stairs and climbed to the very top. He paused at the landing and moved towards a door. _What is he doing? _I wondered, a sinister feeling encasing me. This was wrong. The entire situation was wrong. The Lord threw the door open and a scream pierced the silence, echoing through my ears. I'd never heard a sound so shocking. Because I _knew_ that scream. Although I had never heard it before, I knew who that scream belonged t as if its sound had always been there in the back of my head; a sickening, horrible idea.

The Dark Lord's expression didn't waver from a blank stare as he dragged my mother down the stairs, one hand clutching at her loose hair, the other delicately balancing his wand in his fingertips. A desperate need to move was my only thought. This could not happen. Not to my mother. To see her in such a state, completely helpless and unwillingly undignified was just… _evil._ I could sense that my father was just as horrified as the Lord threw her to the ground. My mother was still screaming, tears pouring freely from her cheeks, all pretences of decorum abandoned. For possibly the first time in years, my mother was displaying her true emotions for the world to see.

"Death is not a punishment you can learn from." He hissed. "…Well, not _your_ death." He fixed me in his gaze, but was distracted as my mother yelled.

"NO!" she protested. _"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY SON!"_

I tried desperately to move, to help her, but couldn't. Her long white hair was covering her eyes, but they shone through the slight cover because of her tears. She glared at Him in disgust and rage, pure emotion and devotion the only thing present in her expression.

The Dark Lord grinned. "Correct, Narcissa." His smile fell. "I will not harm Draco."

She shook violently as He pointed his wand at her face. Understanding seemed to finally dawn on her, and she quietened, and stopped sobbing. She looked towards my father, communicating without words, before finally staring at me. Slowly, she began to speak.

"_Arvada Kedavra."_

I mentally screamed as her lifeless body slumped to the floor. Her eyes were still looking into mine, except they were empty now, the previous light that had glimmered in them faded. A hissing sound filled my ears as Nagini followed her master from the room. As soon as the door closed, I could feel the tension in my muscles again, and scrambled over to where my mother lay.

Dead.

I cupped her face with my hand. Her skin was already cold, and I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. "No… please…" My tear splattered onto her cheek. _"Mother…" _

A hand slapped away my own, and my father shifted her into his arms. I stared at her open eyes that were so much like my own as he rocked her gently. My father was quiet, but I could see that he was fighting a deep turmoil inside. He carefully reached over her eyes and closed them. She almost looked like she was sleeping. I grabbed at my forehead and continued to cry. She was gone. She'd looked at me as she'd died. Everything felt heavier, as if I had just sprinted several miles. I trembled as my breathing became shallower, and bit down on my lip to stop myself from screaming in anguish.

"Draco…" my father croaked. I looked into his face, lined and worn. "How… how could you do this?"

My heart skipped a beat. No. It wasn't me. I didn't. I'd never. "N-no," was all I managed to say. An awful hollowness had erupted within me; I still wasn't fully comprehending what was happening.

My father clenched his fist, and frowned at me. _"_You…"he was struggling to find the right words. "This is your fault! If you hadn't – then she'd still be alive, Draco!"

I shook my head, astonished. "N-no." I spluttered. _"You can't say that!" _I was shaking uncontrollably now. My own mother. My own father. What was happening?!

"You killed my wife!" he hissed. His eyes were bulging and wild. He held my mother close as if I would hurt her even in death, and glared at me as if seeing me for the very first time.

I grabbed at my hair, sobbing. _No. It's lies. It can't be. _I tried desperately to reach for my mother's limp hand, but my father whacked it away with his fist. I shook my head, my voice rising. "No, please! You're wrong!" I yelled. "It wasn't me-!"

"Don't you _dare_ blame me for this!" my father snarled.

"I'm not!" I argued. I thrust my hand at the closed door. "It was Him! He _murdered_ her!"

"_Silence!"_ my father hissed. He looked warily towards the door, afraid that the Dark Lord would burst through. But I couldn't stand it anymore. All of the stress that had been eating away at me for months was swarming in my chest; making my heart beat faster, and my cheeks to flush red from the nervousness and the anger. This wasn't right. None of it was. In my mind, my mother's dead eyes still looked up at me and I realised dimly that she'd been trying to speak with me before she'd died. Before He killed her.

"NO!" I roared at my now terrified father. _"IT'S ALL VOLDEMORT!"_

A gasp was the only sound that I heard as I span on my heel and dashed from the room. Several shocked outbursts sounded from behind me, and I could hear hurried footsteps chasing. But I didn't falter. I didn't stop. I ran until I was free from the restraints of Malfoy Manor, and I was tearing through the gardens.

Several curses bounded off the trees beside me as I neared the edge of the estate. The forest was just up ahead. I knew I was a faster runner than any of the other Death Eaters. I sprinted into the cover of the trees, pulling my wand from my sleeve, and felt a cool blast of air as I broke free from the ancient enchantments. I turned behind me to see three cloaked figures at the edge of the gardens. They'd never catch me now. No one would. I slinked into the depths of the forest, surrounding myself with nature and huddled behind a mound of leaves and twigs. I breathed deeply, waiting for my nerves to subside.

The tears were still welled in my eyes as I thought of my mother. But there was no turning back now. Maybe there never was. I looked towards the rising sun, clearing my mind of distractions. There were no other alternatives. There was only one place I knew I could be safe. One reason I should go there.

One person I could trust.

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Ryuu

Draco smirked at me, and I gasped. What a strange sight it was, to see him standing right in front of me, arms outstretched, as if he was welcoming my company. I lifted my wand and directed it at his heart. My hands were shaking almost as much as my voice._"What?"_

He only smiled more and stepped closer, oddly light footed. I stepped back, both hands on the handle of my wand now, as if it were a gun. "Answer me!" I demanded.

Draco hesitated, and dropped his arms. His eyes glinted silver. He raised a finger to his lips and hushed at me to be quiet. He grinned again and glanced at something behind my right shoulder.

A chill crept down my spine as I gulped and slowly turned my head to see what was there. As I caught sight of the figure in my peripheral vision, I snapped my head back to look at Draco, but he was gone.

I panicked. Of course it was a trap. I cursed myself for being so foolish, as I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. I spun around to see Draco behind me, still smiling warmly and standing next to the tall figure of Voldemort.

I screamed and ran, but wasn't fast enough. Hands seized me, forcing me back. I struggled, throwing all of my energy against them – but it wasn't enough. It was never enough. I screamed again as I felt a heavy impact upon my cheek and I awoke.

I threw the sheets off me and scrambled into a sitting position before I realised that I was awake. My eyes adjusted to reality, and I took in the mess of the small bedroom around me. My cheek was stinging. I slowly began to breathe normally again, and then jumped as Zach's voice spoke, alarmed, from above me.

"What the _hell_ was that?"

He was flushed, his eyes wide and panicky. I groaned and leaned back so that I thudded against the wall. I raised my hand to massage my face, and noticed that Zach was shaking. Putting two and two together, I finally spoke. "Thanks for waking me."

Zach pressed his hands together. They were still shaking violently, and I assumed that it must have unnerved him to strike me. He averted his gaze from my eyes and spoke in a rough tone. "Don't do that again. I thought you were being murdered in here." Then he stood and left the room.

For a few minutes I watched the sun rise through the window. It was already such a beautiful day. The sharp pain in my cheek had subsided, and I knew I shouldn't mention what had occurred to Zach again. I imagined what he would've looked like when he knew he had to wake me and panicked. I winced.

I hadn't mentioned the night terrors to anyone. Somehow, I viewed them as my private battles. But I should've guessed that Zach might've found out this way, and felt guilty for scaring him like that. He'd already lost one friend, and to hear my scream during the night must have been a terrifying moment.

Sighing, I swung my legs over the bed and walked towards the desk on the other side of the room, bare except for a pair of clothes that Zach had 'liberated' from a different empty house. He'd explained to me about how he'd been living for the past few months. Apparently, Zach was quite the thief. He'd started out with simply stealing things from abandoned homes, but had even acquired a knack for pick-pocketing on his travels.

When I'd told Zach that I needed to get back to Hogwarts he'd immediately insisted that he guide me there, which I'd only expected. From that, it hadn't taken me long to convince him to return with me. Zach had even admitted that he'd been seriously considering returning for a while, but had been afraid of how Dennis and I would react.

"I need you." I'd told him, and he'd raised his eyebrows at me. "And so does Den," I'd added quickly.

I pulled off my bloody, torn, uniform, slid into the jeans that were a few sizes too big for me, and pulled the purple knitted sweater over my upper body. The outfit hung loosely over my small frame, but I didn't mind. At least it was warm. I ruefully placed my thick boots back onto my tired feet. There was a resistance in my right shoe. I frowned before realising the problem.

I pulled the knife from the shoe and examined it. The knife that Tibbli had used to kill herself. For me. It was caked in blood, red and sticky. I unconsciously cleaned it with a charm and stared at the reflection on the surface of the metallic sheen. It was the perfect size and weight for a throwing knife, and I idly flicked it through my fingers. Somehow, it felt natural. I cringed as I remembered what this weapon had been used for. _What am I thinking?_

I dropped the weapon onto the bed and pulled my hair out from its tight knot. With a flick of my wand, my uniform folded itself and flew over to land in my arms. I spared one more fleeting glance at the tiny wallpapered bedroom. My eyes caught on the glint of the knife. I felt myself walking towards it and held it in my palm again. It didn't matter what its history was, because it was still a weapon - and a useful one at that. Before I could change my mind again, I slid it into the side of my boot and exited into the living room.

Zach was seated on the kitchen bench, munching on a blood red apple. He had changed into his long brown travelling coat, and combed his hair so that it appeared to be slightly more managed. His gold eyes looked into mine as he accepted my uniform and shoved it into his bottomless rucksack. He glanced guiltily at my cheek and tossed me an apple from his bag.

It fumbled in my hands and slipped, but Zach caught it instantly; his reflexes had always been excellent. Zach rolled his eyes and placed the fruit carefully into my hands. I sneered at his amusement and took a bite from the delicious apple. "We'll be travelling by forest," he began after he'd swallowed his mouthful. "That way we'll be more discreet. If we have to, we can steal food from the muggle markets and we won't attract any attention from wizards because we won't be wearing our Hogwarts armour," he tilted his head to the side. "But, it really would be easier if we used the food we had now, and hunt for more when we need to."

I nodded. If this was how Zach had been coping for weeks, than I'm sure I could do the same. "How long will it take to get to Hogwarts?"

Zach finished his breakfast, and chucked the core into the sink. He swung his rucksack over his shoulder and thought for a moment. "Maybe… two weeks?" I raised my eyebrows and he fixed me with an annoyed look. "Well, if you've got a faster way of getting there, do tell." he snapped.

I nibbled at my apple and followed him to the door. "Oh, haven't I told you? I possess the ability to sprout wings and soar across the sky like a majestic pegasus."

Zach grimaced as we left the house and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "That'd be one ugly pegasus," he droned sarcastically.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was clapping._

_Her mother clapped in beat with her, singing a song that she thought she had forgotten. It was a silly song of no real meaning or purpose, except to make her daughter smile. The mother decided that the girl had the best smile that ever was. It lit up her entire face with such volume that even her emerald eyes shone with glee. _

_The girl was still young. Very young indeed. In fact, she didn't understand the song at all. She bashed her little hands together, and was delighted each time at the sound that was produced from the motion. It was like magic._

_Like all things, the song ended, and the girl lowered her hands glumly. Her mother still smiled at her though, and the girl vaguely wondered why. The girl noted that it was truly strange that her parents simply couldn't restrain a smile when they were around her – yet couldn't fully comprehend the overwhelming love that her parents felt for her, their only daughter._

_The girl reached out a tiny hand and placed it against her mother's palm. The size comparison was almost comical. The girl's fingers barely reached the top of her mother's palm. The mother curled her fingers over so that they rested on top of the girl's hand, in a flimsy handhold. The mother tilted her head to the side as she inspected her daughter's face. Upon reaching a conclusion, she smirked. _

"_Don't tell him," she began mischievously, "but – if it's possible, I think I may love you more than Daddy." The mother said half-jokingly. She wasn't sure if the girl had even heard that, but knew that if she had, she wouldn't be able to remember it when she was older._

_The mother was wrong._

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A/N: Geez, Narcissa. I've got to stop killing people…


	35. Chapter 13 - They Come In The Night

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Back again! I feel like I haven't posted in a while. My Beta and I have come up with a major idea for a story that we're thinking of writing together and we got a bit crazy with it… But anyway back to DAS! Fun times with Ryuu and Zach and poor Draco. Geez, I shouldn't be given power over my characters lives.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 13 - They Come In The Night

Draco

I could see the silhouette of the castle in the distance, and I remembered how I had often loathed that sight. But now, it was nervousness that clouded my mind. Out here, I was exposed to any passing wizard or witch; and whether they were a Death Eater or not, they were a threat to me.

I had apperated into the same spot that I had left from last year. The trees guarded the clearing I was standing in from prying eyes, but the daylight was still fresh in the air. I ducked into the shady cover and sat, relaxing against the flat surface of an old log. My hands were smeared with dirt from when I had pushed brambles out of my way. I summoned some water from my wand and splashed it across my palms. With my damp hands I rubbed at my face, clearing away the trauma.

I was still coming to terms with the severity of my actions during the past few minutes. I, Draco Malfoy, had officially lost everything. The thought of my mother was painful, but I had stopped crying now. I didn't know why – seeing as I felt like curling up in a ball and being alone. But I was already alone.

I folded my right sleeve up to see the ugly burn on my skin. It was as dark as ever, and the snake was still writing across my flesh. I grimaced and pulled the cloth back over it again; regretting the Mark, as well as everything else.

After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I stood and looked towards the shadow of the castle again. It looked so intimidating, dominant. I knew what was coming for me. I doubted that they'd even let me enter the castle, never mind join their forces. But what else could I do? I couldn't go back home; _that_ would be impossibly foolish. If I stayed out in the countryside, I'd be found by Snatchers, taken to the Death Eaters and killed. But, if I tried to join with Hogwarts, I'd be taken prisoner and _probably_ killed…

I sighed and drew my wand, walking into the depths of the forest that led to the castle. _Hogwarts it is…_

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Ryuu

As Zach so mildly put it; I was a bitch to travel with. "Keep up!" he pined for the tenth time that minute. Again, I had leaned against a tree, groaning at my aching legs. "At this rate it'll take us a month to get to Hogwarts," he complained with a scowl.

"Not if you carry me." I teased. Zach gave me a look that dripped disappointment and I rolled my eyes. "We've been walking for hours, Zach – can't we just rest for… I dunno… ten days?"

"No." Zach said immediately, clearly not in the mood for humour. He looked up at the sun, which had slowly made its way to the middle of the sky. "We can stop for a lunch after another five miles." I frowned and told him where to stick his lunch, but he only responded with a sneer. To my annoyance, he continued walking and I could do nothing but follow; cursing the education system for not teaching students how to apparate in their fifth year.

We strode on for another hour, and by that time I kept stumbling. The run for my life through Diagon Alley had really drained me physically as well as emotionally, and my concern for the well being of Toolem and Craig wasn't helping. Plus my general physicality was not made for hiking. Whereas Zach was tall and athletic I was tiny and thin, as well as clumsy when exhausted.

When we came to an uphill slope I fell over onto the grass and remained still, savouring the comfort of solid ground. Then I felt the tip of Zach's boot nudge my side. My growl was muffled by the grass in my mouth. Zach sighed. "What a shame. You're still conscious."

I was about to agree with him, but instead my drawling voice was replaced with a squeak as Zach lifted me from the ground and held me like a child in his arms. With a smug smile, he placed me on my feet again, then rummaged through his rucksack and pulled out a pre-made sandwich. We repeated our little routine of him throwing me the food, and his graceful rescue from my abysmal catch before seating ourselves in the shade of the trees. I bit into the sandwich with relish. As usual, Zach had the best taste in food. I didn't know what kind of meat he had used for the sandwich, but it was tasty and delicious was all that mattered.

After the meal, I felt a little more energised, but my legs still ached. I knew we had a lot more walking to do though, so I ignored the pain and stood. Zach, taking advantage of my good mood, quickly gulped down his lunch and we continued travelling.

The best thing about being with Zach again, was the understanding between us. We'd known each other for years, and could practically communicate without words. We didn't speak for the rest of the day and simply enjoyed each other's company. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, I gave Zach a glance and he quickly led me into denser forestation.

I began to weave protective enchantments in a circle around our camp as Zach prepared dinner. The small fire wouldn't be noticed by people outside the wards, and provided external warmth from a distance too far away for most muggle fires. Zach gave the soup another stir and handed me an old blanket. I draped it around my shoulders as he began to speak into the flames.

"They come in the night. The Snatchers. You see them around during the day sometimes, but not as much." He poured some soup into a mug and passed it to me. It was warm in my hands. "If they find a wand on you, they steal you away."

"Hermione Granger was taken by them." I said, my mind distant. I hadn't thought about her in a while. "During the Second Raid."

Zach sipped at his soup and met my gaze. "I feel sorry for her." He replied glumly. "I don't know what the Kennels are like, but I'm guessing they're awful."

I nodded, banishing any thoughts of Hermione from my mind. It was depressing to dwell on them. The sky drew darker around us and after a few minutes, I could see the stars twinkling above. I remembered hearing somewhere that because the stars were so far away, the images that we saw in the sky were actually what the stars looked like years before. That had been one of the reasons that I'd thought of Divination as a con – using stars to see the future when they actually showed the past. I smiled sadly. _The past sure is beautiful. _

"I've only seen them once." Zach's voice broke through my thoughts. "I was sleeping and I heard a noise outside the wards. I searched around for a bit, and saw them stealing a few people who'd tried to run from them."

He drained the last of his soup and placed the mug on the ground beside him. "An old woman was one of them. Turns out she was a muggle. They took care of her quickly." His eyes were glinting from the colours of the flames. "The two others were siblings. A brother and sister. The muggle had been their mother. They tried to convince the Snatchers that they were halfblood, but they still took them anyway."

I didn't know why Zach was telling me this. I didn't want to hear about all the horrible things he'd seen. I hadn't gone into details of some of the things I'd been through. Some of the things I'd done…

"They piled them into the wagon." Zach continued, "They've got Thestrals attached to the front, so that they can scour the forests faster. But once they were ready to go they… drove over the body." I lost my appetite and put my mug down, clearing my throat. "I could hear the daughter screaming as she was taken away."

"Zach," I interjected. I felt sick in the pit of my stomach. "Why are you telling me this?"

He looked up at me, his eyes oddly innocent. "I just… wanted to know… what it was like."

I frowned. "What?"

"To kill someone." He finished in a rush. He closed his mouth too quickly after he said it, aware that this was a touchy topic. I shrugged the blanket closer around me, pretending that I hadn't heard him.

There was a long pause which I refused to break. I didn't even talk about this with myself; never mind with other people. It was one of my biggest lies – but no matter how much I denied them, the memories of my murders held extraordinary clarity in my head. Two men. Nameless. Perhaps they were husbands or fathers. They were most definitely sons. I rested my chin on my knees and stared into the fire.

Zach shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry. I just… I know that I might have to do it one day and - I want to be prepared." He said the last part in a whisper, and I knew he was being sincere. I took a deep breath and moved to sit beside him.

"You can't prepare yourself." The words were out of my mouth before I realised it and they sounded very cold. I stared him in the eyes before I spoke again, deciding upon the right words. "I never wanted to kill anybody. Ever. Remember that, okay?"

Zach nodded, not daring to interrupt. I sighed. "But that doesn't mean I didn't plan to." I grimaced. It was complicated, and difficult to explain. "When Luna was killed, it was because she didn't… _take care of him. _From then on, I knew. Maybe I'd always known."

I linked my fingers together and spoke to them instead. "I will not hesitate. There aren't any second chances; not in real life." I balled my hands into fists. "When someone is trying to kill you, a sort of – mindset takes over. I suppose it's instinct. And suddenly, you just _know. _You know that you have to kill them; or they will kill you."

Zach was still silent, and for that I was thankful. My voice had adapted to a quieter, coarser tone that I hadn't heard before. "At the time, it's easy. _Too easy_… it feels like the only natural reaction." My eyes narrowed. "But then, once they're dead – once you've _killed_ them…" I searched for the right explanation, but couldn't find anything to say. There was nothing to say. How could I possibly describe the suffocating feeling that encases you after you've committed what is generally considered to be the worst act imaginable?

"I'll never forget their eyes." I finished. I stood and returned to where I had been sitting before. Curling up into a ball, I pretended to be sleeping for longer than I usually would.

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Draco

They came in the night.

I awoke with a start as I heard a twig snap. The sound had come from close by, but from inside the wards that surrounded Hogwarts. I hadn't tried to breach the securities, because I knew that would've caused a panic. I had decided upon waiting to see if a presence presented itself. I must have dozed off. I sprang to my feet and hid in the shadows, waiting, watching. Footsteps; two pairs were approaching. I could hear the leaves crunching beneath their footfalls. The muffled sound of voices grew louder as they grew closer.

"I hate this place," a female voice complained. "It gives me the creeps."

"It's not that bad," the man replied, "could be worse. At least Dumbledore isn't sending us to check the protection around the Whomping Willow." He laughed. "He's left that one to Snape."

The woman laughed in agreement. "You do this one Tim. I've been casting for the last half hour."

Tim scoffed, and I heard his boots slide across the ground. "Geez you're bossy Esmeralda. How does my brother deal with you?"

There was a silence as Tim murmured a series of protective enchantments. I held my breath, thinking about what I should do. I had to act soon, or I wouldn't be able to hear them anymore.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the darkness, with my hands in the air. Esmeralda, who was holding a lit wand, jumped so violently that she dropped it to the ground. I heard Tim swear as he broke the protective enchantments and attacked. A hex hit me in the chest and I was winded, falling to my knees. "Wait!" I yelled, helplessly. "I surrender! I don't want to fight you!"

A red light, and I was thrown onto my back. I opened my eyes, dazed and confused. My vision adjusted to the dark, and I saw Tim standing above me. He was a short man, but looked domineering from this angle. His blue eyes flashed. "State your name!" he barked.

There was no use in lying. "Draco Malfoy." I said. It was probably the first time in my life that I had said it dismally.

My words made Tim raise his eyebrows. "Malfoy's boy?" He set his jaw and called to Esmeralda. She came into sight, dark skin crinkling into a frown as Tim told her who I was.

"But surely he's a Death Eater!" she exclaimed.

"I surrender." I repeated, and both their eyes widened. "I will not fight you."

Tim kept his wand pointed threateningly at me and nodded towards Esmeralda. With a stern expression she reached into my sleeve and produced my wand. The woman shifted to my other arm, and after she had rolled up the cloth, snarled as she caught sight of the Dark Mark. She hastily stood, and glanced at Tim. "You do the honours," Esmeralda ordered angrily.

Just as I was pondering what this meant, Tim's boot collided with the side of my head and everything went black.

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Ryuu

Probably out of politeness, neither of us mentioned what we had discussed the night before and instead embraced the conversational opportunities that came with a new day. I was feeling much better after a peaceful sleep, which I was surprised I had received. As the sun began to fall lower towards the horizon and the evening threatened to arrive earlier than expected, I walked alongside Zach with an almost spring in my step.

The woods we travelled in weren't at all like the Forbidden Forest, especially during the day time. The spring season had brought out the true bloom of the flowers upon the ground, and the trees were tall and thin. The wildlife flitted from branch to branch as we travelled, trying to keep our footfalls light so we didn't attract attention. It was so secluded in the forests. It was like Zach and I were the only two people on earth. As I had mentioned, this was dangerous, and despite our semi-light-hearted mood, we still kept a firm grip on our wands under our coats.

Zach was curious as to who was still at Hogwarts. Every minute or so he came up with a new name, and I gave a brief explanation as to what they were doing now. It was a conduct of the chat, to keep up a conversational tone even if the subject matter was depressing. It was something that didn't need to be declared, and made it easier to talk about things.

"Terry Boot?" Zach inquired.

I shook my head. "Suicide. A few days before the Second Raid."

"Oh." Zach said, in a voice that threatened to break the conduct. "That's a shame."

"Hmm…" I agreed, jumping over a tree root that was half concealed beneath the leaf litter.

"What about Reeah Noseworthy? How are her and her sister going?" I had explained to Zach the truth about Reeah, because I knew I could trust him.

"Well, I heard that her sister has recovered." I said. "I don't know much else though. But I know that she's going to stay at Hogwarts, no matter how much she wants to see her fiancé." Zach nodded, his eyes distant in the way they were when he had his mind on other things. I left him to his thoughts, admiring a squirrel that was pouncing from tree to tree above us.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _

I jerked around and cast a shield between the unknown caster and me so fast that I almost tripped. Zach fired a stunning jinx into the bushes a few feet away from us, and we heard a thunk as something fell to the ground. Suddenly, all around us, figures appeared. I scanned the crowd. Five men. One woman. Snatchers.

Zach grabbed my hand at the precise moment that I seized his arm. We sprinted away from the Snatchers, ducking in between the trees as spells ricocheted off them. "Go!" I heard Zach yelling above the blasts. I turned my head as we ran, just spying the women pointing her wand at me. I yelled the first spell that came to mind. _"Expelliarmus!" _

Her wand spiralled from her hand. I turned my attention back to running, and almost tripped as Zach pulled me over a rock. I crashed into Zach's side, which made him lose his footing and sent us tumbling down a slope. The Snatchers caught up to us as we scrambled to our feet. A slicing charm and disarming spell later, our wands lay helpless on the ground, the leather cord attached to mine fraying from the magical cut.

Hatred bubbled within me as a man with a goatee stepped forward and picked up _my_ wand. He twirled it in his fingers. "Well, who do we have here boys?" Several sniggers reached my eyes from the Snatchers surrounding us. The woman sprinted in to join the circle, having been held back to retrieve her wand. She eyed me angrily. I felt Zach tense.

"Not telling, huh?" Goatee jibed. He was obviously enjoying this. I glanced at Zach in the corner of my eye, desperately racking my brain for a lie. Zach beat me to it.

He put on an unconvincing fake smile and hooked his arm around my waist. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," he began, his voice wavering. "We didn't realise who you were in all the confusion. I'm Blaise Zabini. This is my fiancé, Reeah Noseworthy."

Goatee narrowed his eyes at us. I flashed a dazzling smile. The lie could work. The Zabini's and the Noseworthy's were well known Slytherin families.

"He's lying!" accused a beefy man to my right. My heart sank. "I know the Zabini's," the man finished. Goatee grinned and stepped towards us. Zach stepped slightly in front of me protectively. He was obviously thinking the along the same lines as I was. They couldn't find out I was a muggleborn.

"Well that was a great little skit, but next time…" Goatee slammed a fist into Zach's face, and Zach staggered backwards. "TELL THE TRUTH!"

I shielded Zach from view of Goatee as he held his face in his hands. The rest of the Snatchers were laughing, but I kept my eyes locked with Goatee. "Okay fine!" I spat. "I'm Lavender Brown, this is Zacharias Smith." Goatee's grin spread across his rat like face. "We're pureblood," I declared to the crowd surrounding us, "you have no use for us."

I could feel all of the Snatcher's eyes gouging into me. My hand itched for a weapon, but my wand was gone and my knife couldn't defeat this many people. I gulped, and repressed a shudder. This was not good. I could already feel the panic creeping over me and steadied my heart rate with a deep breath. _Calm, control. You do have a weapon. You can talk your way out of anything remember? Breathe._

Goatee turned around to face the rest of his gang with a profound sneer barely controlled on his jagged chin. They all converged together, except for two which held their wands pointed at us. They all seemed to be examining a list that had been retrieved from Goatee's upper pocket, and speaking in hisses. I spared Zach a glance and sighed in relief to see that he'd only received a crooked nose from the punch.

Zach grabbed my elbow and breathed in my ear. _"What do we do now?"_

I looked sideways at the Snatchers who were guarding us. The female never moved her stare from my face, and looked extremely angry that I had disarmed her before. She scowled, displaying a golden front tooth. The man on my right was more relaxed, but not enough to make the mistake of overconfidence. I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Are you any good at melee?" I whispered back to him.

Zach shook his head. "I'm not sure. You?"

I tilted my head to the side. "Maybe. If there was only one of them."

He sighed. "We could make a run for it – but you'd have to keep up with me."

I shook my head. That would never work. I opened my mouth to respond, but the Snatchers seemed to have caught on to our communication. Goldtooth stepped closer. "Oi!" she barked, storming in between us and pulling Zach's hand away from my arm. She stared Zach down. "Shut your mouth! Or your little _fiancé_ will pay the price!" She glared at me menacingly, but I held my blank stare.

Goatee interrupted bluntly. "Stand down!" he ordered, and Goldtooth reluctantly stepped aside. He approached Zach and me until he was at a threateningly close distance. He smirked at Zach's out-of-angle nose before swinging his head to look me directly in the eyes.

"I want to believe a pretty face like yours." He began hoarsely, stepping a bit closer. I shuddered. "…But I _don't._ If you had nothing to hide, then your _fiancé_ would've had no reason to lie." I mentally cursed the man before me. The panic was settling in again.

"Search them!" Goatee shouted, and three Snatchers advanced. Two veered towards Zach, who threw me a desperate glance. Goldtooth sidled next to me, tearing the coat from my back and searching the pockets. She rifled through the jacket and then felt along the sleeves of my shirt, her mouth twisting into a grin of victory.

I scowled at her infuriating satisfaction. It wasn't just the feeling of loosing that was making me flush in anger, but the fact that I knew it was over. No matter what we did, Zach and I were going to be taken to a Kennel, and eventually… I would become a slave. My hands balled into fists as Goldtooth knelt down to inspect my boots. Giving in to the frustration, I swung my foot into her face and she was sent crashing to the ground, clutching her bloodied nose. Several jinxes hit me at once, and I followed Goldtooth's route. I stared angrily at the Snatchers above me as they seized my shoulders and dragged me into a standing position. As I struggled, I noticed that Zach was doing the same, and my heart swelled. He was so loyal.

Goatee's face was lined with disgust as he flashed Goldtooth a look of contempt and yelled at Zach and me to stop. To his great annoyance, his commands were only obeyed once he had hit us with several stunning jinxes, leaving us winded and useless in the grips of the Snatchers. "You!" he pointed to a youth standing awkwardly on the sidelines. "Check her shoes!"

I rolled my eyes as the knife was pulled from my shoe. Goatee looked at the weapon with hollow eyes, and is mouth formed a perfect circle. He shifted his stare to me momentarily before seizing the knife and stuffing it in his belt next to my wand. "Well, well, well…" he said. He raised his eyebrows at me and laughed in amusement. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at me with eyes that flashed dangerously. "You could've only have gotten that from a Snatcher, girl." I threw Zach an apologetic look, but he was focusing only on Goatee, his jaw set. "Throw them in the carriage." Goatee finished conversationally, with a wave of his hand.

I kicked and struggled as I was dragged through the dirt. "Let go of me!" I screeched. No matter how much of my energy I threw at them, the Snatchers were too strong. I could hear that Zach was fighting like I was, but also to little effect. The heels of my boots thudded along the ground as I was hauled through the trees.

The carriage came into sight. Two ghastly black-winged horses, which could only be thestrals, stood at its front, waiting patiently for their commands. The caboose-like attachment at the rear was made of wood, and had metal bars slitting the two windows on either side of the box. I kicked out at my captors as we drew nearer, to receive a thump on the top of my skull that caused the world around me to rock from side to side.

Strong arms threw me into the back of the carriage, and I landed awkwardly, my shoulder colliding painfully with the hard wooden floor. After a few seconds, the pain ebbed away, and Zach was tossed in next to me. There was a clang as the barred doors closed, the dying sun casting shadows of the bars across the small cabin, emphasising the imprisoned effect. I struggled to my feet and raced towards the bars, but when I tried to push them outwards, my hands met an invisible resistance a few feet away from them.

Goatee's face appeared outside the bars, and he grinned. "Make yourselves comfortable. It'll take us a while to get to the Kennel from this far away."

I ground my teeth together. _"Go to hell."_ I hissed.

To my annoyance, this only made him more amused. "Like I said – it'll take a few hours to get there." He laughed as he strode around the side of the carriage.

My eyes met with Zach's as we listened to the Snatchers through the wood of the carriage. There were several thuds as they sat in their places before one of them spoke. "Okay, now we head East. Once we're finished there, we continue South towards the Kennel."

The carriage jerked, and Zach and I were thrown against one side as it shook violently. There was a thunderous noise from the footfalls of the thestrals. Their speed was astounding, so much so that I couldn't hear anything above the sound of their hooves hammering into the ground. The trees whipped past the bars of the windows, not completely blurred, but indistinctive in the fading light. I placed a hand on my throbbing head and sank to the wooden floor, Zach at my side.

Night had fallen.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was small._

_So small, that it took an immense effort to reach the top of the table. She stood on the tips of her toes, her hand outstretched towards the sky, but it still wasn't good enough. The girl flexed her fingers, and they just brushed her destination, before failing. _

_The girl groaned and lowered her arm, staring defiantly up at the table. She pouted and narrowed her eyes, her hands moving to her hips. "Humph," she spat, and turned at the sound of footsteps. _

_Her mother raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What are you up to?"_

_The girl smiled innocently and folded her hands in front of her. "Nothing Mummy."_

_The mother was not so easily fooled. She raised an eyebrow again and approached her daughter, bending down to look her in those green eyes. "Nothing, huh? Really?"_

_The girl pouted and sighed. "No…"_

_The mother grinned. "Do you need my help?"_

_The girl shuffled her shoes, torn between her present desires and her constant pride. "Maybe…"_

_The mother lifted the daughter into her arms. She placed her onto the table, and the girl looked around for a moment, relishing in the wonder of height. Then she motioned towards the board that rested at her feet. "How do you play chess Mummy?" she asked._

"_Dismally, unfortunately." The mother replied. The girl narrowed her eyes, not completely comprehending. The mother shook her head and explained the parameters of the game, slowly and simply. The girl nodded along at her description, but the mother doubted that she understood the complexities of the game at all. _

_When the mother had finished, the girl turned her attention to the chessboard below her. Her eyes drifted over the black and white pieces which were frozen in their current battle, soaking in every detail of their abilities. After a few minutes of studying the board she pointed towards a white rook. _

"_If you moved that one you could take Daddy's queen." The girl observed simply._

_The mother leaned over the board, her eyes widening as she came to the realisation that she had previously overlooked. She looked at her daughter and scooped her into her arms, releasing her onto the ground. "You know, sometimes I think you're too smart for your age…" the mother said half to herself._

_The daughter smirked._

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A/N: Aaaah Snatchers! For some reason I always imagine villainous thugs to have drawling cockney accents and I'm not sure why. I tend to put that in my stories too. The Death Eater that tried to kill Harry, Goatee – I'm pretty sure some more come up. Just a quirky fact.


	36. Chapter 14 - Chains

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: I've had some people ask me why Lucius blamed Narcissa's death on Draco. A good question, and here's the answer. Lucius loves his son very much. But he loves Narcissa just that little bit more. He knew when the war began that those decisions he'd made when he was young were coming back to endanger his family - and felt an immense responsibility to that. And when Voldemort killed his wife in the name of the failures he and Draco had made; Lucius couldn't bear to think that his wife's death was his fault. He couldn't blame Voldemort. So the only other person he could push it on was Draco. It was a dick move – but he was so distraught that he just needed to feel like the victim for a moment. Because Lucius has a lot of flaws. He's not a bad person – just a coward. So that's why he did it.

Yeah, so that was my reasoning behind all of that. Hope you enjoy reading on.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 14 - Chains

Draco

The pain in my head stabbed at me, and I groaned. All of my senses dulled, I raised a hand and massaged the area where I had been kicked. It pulsed every few seconds and I winced when it did. After a few minutes, it dulled and the minor yet substantial amount of aches all over my body made themselves noticed. I stretched my muscles and took a deep breath before slowly opening my eyes.

Darkness.

It surrounded me, enveloping me in its cold folds. I shivered, waiting for my vision to adjust. I could see light up ahead, but it was blurred and hazy – unhelpful. I shifted, my bare back scarping along the stone behind me. I suddenly realised why I was cold. My shirt was gone, and my torso covered in bruises and dirt. _Where am I?_

I looked around. Four walls, one of them barred. The slits were thick and obvious, even in the dim light. The stone in the walls looked familiar, itching at the back of my memories. I looked to my right. More stone, but an extra built in wall that hid something from my view. I moved into a position where I could see, but was stopped by a harsh tug on my ankles.

I looked down to see that they were chained in rusty metal; the shackles just loose enough to be uncomfortable. The chains clinked as I moved but remained taut to the bolted plate in the floor. I instinctively tried to free myself from their bonds only to find that my hands too had been chained, with cuffs that were so tight that they scarped at my flesh, causing it to bleed and exposing it to the rust on the metal.

The stench of dampness filled my nostrils, mingled with the smell of metal and blood. I looked around the cell again, checking all of the shadows twice, searching for my captor. I cleared my throat. "Hello?" There was no response. I tried again, this time raising my voice. "Hello?!"

A grinding sound protruded from the darkness and a sliver of light appeared through the bars. I squinted at the shadows that moved in front of it, until they moved close enough to the dimly lit torch on the wall outside my cell, and the room was suddenly illuminated so that all was visible.

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape looked down at me, their expressions blank. I gaped, and tried to stand, but the chains on my ankles prevented me, and I stumbled to my knees. There was complete and awful silence as we waited for each other to speak. Finally, I worked up the courage and opened my mouth. "Where am I?" I didn't know why I had asked, but it was the first question that had come to me.

Dumbledore's eyebrows lowered. "Do you not recognise the Dungeons?"

I blinked stupidly. Of course. My shoulders ached, and I rubbed at them ineffectually. Carefully I murmured, "It's been a while."

"Indeed." Dumbledore replied lightly.

I looked up into his blue eyes, uncharacteristically cold. Foreboding seized me, and I shivered, only partly from the cold of the Dungeons. Snape's pupil-less eyes met mine, and I hoped for a gleam of understanding to reveal itself within them, but instead they remained impassive.

"Our sources tell us that you were standing outside the wards." McGonagall began, her face stern. "Were you waiting for the rest of your _friends_ to show up?"

I frowned. "No." McGonagall raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. I continued, "I came here to surrender. I told Tim and Esmeralda that." The three adults glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes. "You don't believe me." I stated.

"We have reason." McGonagall responded, her voice primped.

Again, I tried to stand. This time, I managed to move my feet into a better position and slowly rose. Staying still, I looked all of them directly in the eye. "I came to join you." I spoke clearly. "I no longer wish to serve Voldemort."

At the mention of his name, McGonagall gasped and Dumbledore smiled slightly. Snape regarded me with his beady eyes, taking in every detail of my face thoroughly. He stepped forwards to look at me closer, and his eyes flickered to the Dark Mark burned into my right arm. Suddenly I felt awkwardly exposed, as if I was being held on display for people to gawk at me.

Dumbledore spoke evenly. "Severus. I understand what you are thinking. However, you also know what I am thinking. The facts cannot be ignored." No-one but myself seemed to be confused about his mysterious comment.

Snape spun around on his heel and met Dumbledore's gaze. There was a few seconds of tension before he finally spoke for the first time. "Shall _I_ do the honours?"

Dumbledore nodded and stepped closer, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, that would be prudent Severus. However, although your skills are highly advanced, if the time comes where I am needed, I will not be surprised." He observed my expression. I gulped.

"What are you going to do to me?" I croaked, trying not to display how concerned I was.

Dumbledore didn't reply and instead backed away from my cell and spoke to McGonagall, who's lips were incredibly thin. Her eyes swept over me and met Dumbledore's lined face as he talked to her. "You do not have to stay if you wish Minerva."

McGonagall surveyed me with deep eyes before shaking her head. "I'll be fine Albus."

I looked from the pair to Snape, who had barely moved from his tensed position since he had entered the Dungeon. "I am not a Death Eater anymore." I declared. "I wish to fight against Him." I finished, backing further into my cell as Snape edged closer to the bars. He raised his wand. "Aren't you listening to me?!" I yelled. "I'm on your side!"

"_Legilimens!"_

I screamed as images flashed before my eyes. Images that weren't logical. Images that weren't supposed to be real. Buying my wand in _Olivanders,_ my father at my side. My mother cupping my face with her hand. The Sorting Hat telling me of my potential, but warning me that I should consider what my choices might mean to me. Ryuu smirking at me in the Prefect's cabin. Voldemort torturing me on the floor of my home. Pansy crying. The Dark Mark twisting on my skin. My mother's dead eyes. Ryuu, tied to a chair in Umbridge's office, covered in blood and falsehoods.

Instinctively, I blocked my mind from the attack, like I had always been trained. Snape's penetration was strong, but my lessons had been constant and I had excelled. It only took a few seconds of struggle before I forced his prying eyes from my mind and woke to find myself crouched on the floor of my cell, clutching my head in my hands and biting down on my lip.

I gagged on the blood that dribbled from my mouth and cleared it away with a sweep from my shaking hands and a rattle from the chains that bound me. Snape was still standing perfectly still, his face blank, intent hidden. He looked towards Dumbledore who was surveying me with interest, and McGonagall, who couldn't tear her horrified eyes form where I lay.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked. "What did you see?"

Snape turned to Dumbledore. "He blocked me before I could delve deeper and find things related to… present times." He glanced at me with a hard stare.

Dumbledore appeared almost pitiful as he looked down upon me, shivering and bruised on the floor of my prison. "That will be all for now. His lessons in Occulemency have taught him well. His mother will be glad that her son can protect himself."

I cringed and turned my head away, so that none of them could see the pain on my face. There was a long hesitation. "Narcissa is dead." Snape said bluntly, before I heard his hurried footsteps leave the Dungeon.

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Ryuu

Despite my useless efforts to force my way out of the walls that confined us, the carriage rumbled on, twisting and turning at random intervals. I ashamedly turned my head away from Zach, barely able to look at him. My head throbbed in pain but I ignored it, focusing on keeping the tears from emerging. _I'm going to a Kennel. A concentration camp. I'll be a… slave. And Zach… they won't use him. They're going to kill him. Zach will die._

I sunk to the floor of the caravan and brought my knees up to my chin, lacing my fingers around my legs. My eyes flickered to Zach's still form. He was staring at the floor space in between us, his face blank. Another wave of guilt struck me and I buried my head in my knees. For several moments, I bit down on my lip, fighting the urge to cry. That wouldn't help anything. I was just taking my second deep breath when I felt a hand on my arm.

I met Zach's gaze and was reassured to see that there was no anger in his eyes. He curled his arm over my shoulders and I rested my head against the crook of his neck, feeling the familiarity of his touch stronger than I felt the fear pulsing through my veins. This was Zach. My friend for years. One of the few people in the world I truly, irrevocably, trusted.

And I had brought him to his death.

"I'm so sorry Zach." I whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous," he whispered back instantly, "this isn't your fault."

As much as I wanted to believe his words, I couldn't help thinking that I had failed him. I could've lied better. Could've found a way for us to escape. But it was too late now. I'd failed him. Just like I had so many other people. I cleared my throat. "Guess it's no use crying now."

I felt Zach's head lean against the top of mine and heard him sigh. "I suppose not."

I looked out towards the barred end of the cabin and narrowed my eyes at the speeding countryside. The moon had risen, casting twisted shadows form the trees of forests outside across the panelled wood. The Snatchers chatted light-heartedly among themselves. Several times they broke into song, and I scowled, my hand itching for my wand. Zach's deep voice sounded clearly next to my ear. "You know, I never envisioned that at the end of all things, I'd be with the clumsy girl who tripped over the sorting stool at the ceremony."

My face reddened as the embarrassing moment came back to haunt me. My first day in the magical world and I screwed it up in front of the entire school. "You remember that?!"

"Of course I do." Zach replied. I could hear the smile in his voice. "What made it funnier was the fact that you tried to cover it up by faking a limp."

I scoffed. "Well, at least I'm not the one who gave a box of cauldron cakes to all my teachers for Christmas in first year. Suck up."

Zach's torso shook as he laughed. "Cheap shot! My father told me to do that…."

His voice faded away, and I abruptly silenced myself. His tone had been suggesting further depth and my curiosity sparked. I knew Zach had a difficult relationship with his father, but he'd never told me- or anyone else - why. I waited, but Zach didn't continue and fell into an awkward quiet.

I shifted so I could look him in the eyes. They glinted golden at me. "Zach…" I began in a soothing tone, but he shook his head. I grimaced. "Look, if you want to tell me something – this is it. We hardly have time to keep things from each other anymore." At the mention of our fate, we uncomfortably looked in separate directions, acknowledging what was to come. The silence snapped as Zach bluntly began to speak.

"Fine." He moaned. "You have a right to know," he stared at my face, his own impassive. "…Have I ever told you that I'm a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff?"

My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"My family has been in Hufflepuff for centuries. We practically _breathe_ it. My father is no exception, _however,_ I am." He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "My Mum left him when I was little and I completely understand why she did."

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's like I said." Zach continued. "He's completely Hufflepuff. So much so that it's… _impractical._" I raised an eyebrow. Hufflepuffs weren't generally considered to be anything but loyal and kind – I didn't see how that could be hazardous.

Zach sighed. "He doesn't have a job. He thinks that they take away the calm and fulfilment of life." He rolled his eyes. "Not that we have much of that anyway, seeing as we're broke."

"But," I started confused, "don't you have heirlooms from Great Aunt Helga?"

Zach shook his head. "We _did_. He gave them away to anyone who asked for them out of generosity." Zach didn't flinch at my aghast exclaim. "His reasoning was that such glorious items should be shared amongst the wider community – and not hoarded to us alone." I shook my head in disbelief as Zach ranted on. "For my thirteenth birthday he hosted a huge party, inviting all of his old friends that I didn't even know. At the time we could barely afford dinner, and I kept on telling him how stupid he was acting but he _wouldn't_ listen. He _never_ listened!"

I stared at my friend. It was strange to think that the boy I had known so well for years had hidden this private struggle from all of his friends for so long. Now that I looked back on our school days, the pair of robes that were shabbier than everyone else's and the second hand books from outdated sources clicked into logic. I placed my hand over his, squeezing it for comfort. Zach turned his head towards me and calmed down as he glimpsed my understanding expression. _Maybe he's been hanging around with me too much,_ I mused. _He can read me almost as easily as I can read everyone else._

"So I ran away from him when the war began," he said to no one in particular. "He wanted to go into hiding, but I told him that I was done with his crap and that I wasn't going to wait for the Death Eaters to find me." Zach's eyes glazed over. "He… was so upset. I'd never imagined that I'd make my Dad cry."

"Hey." I nudged his elbow. "You just called him 'Dad.'" Zach stared at me blankly. "I've never heard you do that before."

Zach shrugged. "I guess I never thought of him as one." His eyes narrowed as he realised the hard truth of what he was saying, and his hand slid from mine.

I persisted. "You miss him."

Zach lifted his gaze to mine, absorbing my statement. Slowly, he responded. "Yeah. I do. It's crazy isn't it? Missing someone you're not even sure you love…"

I was taken aback by the comment and felt the scars on my arm tingle. "Yeah… _crazy."_

I leaned my head against him again, glad that he had confided in me. Mystery solved. Somehow, the awakening of Zach's home life enlightened substantial elements to his character that I had disregarded previously. However, it was far from over yet. There was one more thing that needed clearing up – and I knew that it had to be done now. I tried several openings in my head, but eventually deposited them all under 'pointless'. With Zach, there was no use trying to tiptoe around the subject matter of a conversation. The only way that I could ask him sincerely, would be to ask him directly.

"Zach?"

"Hmm?"

"When exactly were you going to come out of the broom-cupboard and admit that you're in love with Dennis?"

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Draco

Snape sifted through my mind yet again. Every aspect of my instincts was telling me to block his mental attack, but I knew I had to let him in. Let him pry… I shuddered. No. I had to let this happen. I had to let them trust me- otherwise this would never end.

Potter and I were duelling in our second year, and I'd just momentarily defeated him by using an unexpected attack. The horrid hippogryph was rearing above me, claws bared and eyes fierce. Ryuu and I danced in the Shrieking Shack and I couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Snow blanketed the grounds at Malfoy Manor, and I stood on the outskirts, bored and alone. There was a plunging sensation in my stomach as I fell from my broom onto the hard ground. I strutted down the hallway, Crabbe and Goyle at my side, staring down anyone who got in my way.

The memories flashed through my brain so fast it hurt; I dug my bleeding fingernails into the coarse stone of the floor of my cell. It was then that Snape's rummaging became more organised, looking through recent events, until finally his oiled voice vibrated through my skull.

_Tell me your name._

My thoughts went to me forming my signature at the top of one of my exam papers. I finished writing my name with a flourish of my peacock feathered quill. Snape instantly moved to the next inquiry.

_Who branded you with the Dark Mark?_

Bellatrix brandished the poker and pressed it against the pale flesh of my arm. The pain was excruciating; but my screams could not be heard by anyone else, except myself and Snape, who watched silently from the shadows of my mind. I screamed at the burning sensation on my skin and hugged my arm to my chest. My eyes were wide open and staring at the shackles that cut my wrists. I vaguely realised I was awake, and the pain gradually ebbed away. I lifted my head to see Snape sliding his wand into his sleeve and regarding me with a bored expression. Sweat trickled down my nose, and I wiped it away with a clink from my chains.

"That will be all for today," Snape declared, as if he were dismissing a Potions class. It seemed to register with him too late that _he_ was the one who was supposed to leave. He turned on his heel and was out of the Dungeon in a matter of four strides.

I blanked my thoughts. Thinking about the mundane, ongoing and strenuous process of the Dungeon would only lead to insanity. I could barely cope with the lack of simple information. What day was it? It was impossible to know how long I had been in here already. What was happening outside my cell? There seemed to be silencing charms in the walls, because nobody except Snape or Dumbledore seemed to hear me screaming. Would I ever get out of here?

No.

The dread seeped over me. I would die here. In the dark. The cold. Useless, miserable and forgotten.

Alone.

I curled up against the wall, breathing heavily, every fibre of my being uncomfortable. I turned to the tray of food that had been left for me this morning and poured water over my raw wrists and over my neck. My entire body shook as a chill flitted through the cell and I wrapped myself in an embrace, closing my eyes in a feeble attempt to get some sleep.

I would need plenty of energy for the morning.

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Ryuu

Zach tensed, gaping at my bluntness for a long, silent time. He looked for a response that might be appropriate, but knew that it was already too late. He had left his pause for long enough that I knew I had deeply affected him by declaring the truth. He struggled for the correct facial expression, but continued to retreat to one of shock as he saw how utterly, seriously, certain I was. He opened and closed his mouth several times, and I waited for him to speak. Finally, he blinked away the moment and formed a hazy beginning which was easy enough for me to interpret."W-What… did you – _How?"_

I sighed. "I'm not an idiot Zach. I've known you're gay for ages. Dennis, I only realised a few months ago." I said matter-of-factly.

He considered me with narrowed eyes. "How long have you known?"

"Since the Yule Ball." I replied. "I was your date, and I noticed that you could barely keep your eyes off those Durmstrang boys –which was odd seeing as I looked stunning in that green dress." I said in a reminiscent tone. Zach eyed me curiously and I quickly elaborated. "I don't blame you though! Those boys were _quite_ fine…"

Zach's brow was lowered, slowly realising what I had explained to him. He moved so that he was sitting across from me, and regarded me with an honesty that I had always admired about him. "So… you figured out that I was gay at the Yule Ball, and still kissed me afterwards?"

I grinned. "Yes. Not only was I gorgeous that night, but you weren't so bad yourself. Also, it _was_ a date. A little light-hearted snogging never hurt anyone." Zach raised his eyebrows. "You are a good kisser by the way," I added. "Dennis is a lucky guy…"

Zach raised his hands. "Whoa. No, no, no. Dennis has _no_ idea." He narrowed his yellow eyes at me. _"Right?"_

The cabin lurched as I gasped. "I didn't tell anyone if that's what you're saying." I snapped. "Besides, you kept it pretty well hidden by constantly hitting on me."

Zach smiled guiltily. "So you knew about that huh?"

I nodded. "Of course." When I noticed his expression, I eased his awkward apologetic face away with a wave of my hand. "Don't mention it. I knew _why_ you were doing it, and I wasn't going to be mean to you about it. Besides, I knew you weren't _really_ attracted to me anyway, so it wasn't a problem."

I could see the relief on Zach's face that I was accepting him so naturally. He was practically glowing, and I was glad that I had spoken up. I looked towards the setting moon. Soon, we wouldn't have enough time to clear things up and be, well, normal.

Zach hung his head. "I shouldn't have left Hogwarts."

My smile sagged, as the tone of the conversation changed. Zach looked at me with pleading eyes, his thin dark hair flopping over his forehead. "How did Dennis take it?"

I looked down at my hands. "He barely spoke for weeks afterwards. I couldn't bear to look at him. It was like…" I searched for the right words, "like his innocence had been crushed."

Zach dragged his hand through his hair. "I never wanted to hurt him." He shook his head, grimacing. "Luna knew that."

I nodded, knowing his reference. "You told her."

His eyes sparkled. "Your knack for knowing everything is really going to bite you back one day."

My eyes unfocused. _It already has. _Zach, however, didn't notice my reaction to his casual observation and continued recounting. "She used to talk to me. Help me through it. I think, that in the months leading up to her death I probably understood Luna better than I ever had before, and her me." He smiled sadly, both of us feeling the weight of Luna's absence once more. "I used to find places to be alone, but Dennis would follow me. He'd try to find out what was wrong, but I just couldn't tell him. How _could_ I tell him?"

I reached forth and clasped his hand in my own. "Maybe Dennis will find out on his own terms."

Zach narrowed his eyes at my implication. It was true that I was getting a hunch about Dennis's feelings towards Zach, but I knew that Zach had no idea. I didn't want to interfere _too_ much in their almost love-life, for fear of damaging it, but surely hope wasn't such a bad thing after all…

He regarded me with an odd expression before speaking in a whisper so low, that I had to strain to hear it over the sound of the thestral's hooves. "What happened to you, Ryuu?"

For a few seconds, I stared at him, trying to figure out what he meant. "Pardon?"

"What happened to you?" Zach looked through me, trying to decipher my jumbled thoughts. "Last year, you were so… distant- and don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." He added quickly as I opened my mouth to protest. "And then at the end of the year, you come back from this dangerous battle at the Ministry of Magic, and behaved like it wasn't that much of a surprise." I slid my hand from his, and folded my arms. Zach's eyes slid to my left arm, widening. "And those scars. I know they were made by Umbridge's quill, but why _Traitor?"_

"When have you seen them before?" I snapped, covering my long sleeved arm protectively.

"In training, when you removed your cardigan. They're not that noticeable, but I saw them." he quickly explained, his face expressionless. "You're not answering my question, Ryuu."

I stared at him, considering my options. No one outside of the Order knew about my mission and what I had done for it. I realised with an awful pang that Luna had died oblivious about Draco. I shifted uncomfortably, thinking of how I could possibly explain myself. Memories seared through my head, and I felt tears sting my eyes. Zach embraced my still form, as I swallowed my nervousness and weakly formed a sentence.

"Zach… I've done such horrible things."

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The carriage abruptly stopped. No hooves thundered at the ground, or tore at the loose mud. The panelled cabin no longer trundled along with the movements of the thestrals, and the sound of the Snatchers' discussing amongst themselves became more distinct.

"What have you got for us boys?" asked a gravelly voice.

"Young male and female. They seem a bit suspicious."

I looked into Zach's wide yellow eyes. _We're here._

Zach quickly seized my hand, whispering frantically. "Whatever happens, promise me this Ryuu." I could hear the urgency in his voice, and my heart broke. He knew he was going to die. Zach's gaze bored into my own, making sure I absorbed every word. "They're going to do horrible things to you. You're going to hate them, _despise_ them. But no matter what you may be thinking, do not – under any circumstances - resist."

"What?!-" I began.

"They will kill you, Ryuu." His hand squeezed mine. "There won't be any second chances. Not in there." His eyes flickered to the footsteps approaching from outside the cabin, before turning back to me. "Keep your head down, and your mouth shut – and for my sake…" he quickly planted a kiss on my forehead. "Don't get yourself killed."

I gaped at his urgency, knowing that I had to speak fast. This was it. Goodbye. I laced my fingers in his. "Zach, I-"

The door of the cabin burst open and three Snatchers stormed into the space, grabbing a hold of my arms and dragging me from Zach's grip. "NO!" I screamed, devastated that I hadn't been fast enough, and dreading what was to occur. I kicked at the men holding me, digging my fingernails into the flesh of their arms.

A fist came up, and then struck home.

My head throbbed painfully, as I was hauled through the doors and into the sunlight. My eyes blurred as they adjusted, and I heard Zach yell from behind me. "Zach!" I spun in the Snatchers grip, throwing all of my weight against the beefy man.

A fist came up, and then struck home.

The world rocked, and I groaned in pain. _No. No. No. _I feebly fought against the Snatcher as he walked me over to a table in front of a huge gate, lined with thorned hedges. As I looked from side to side, I saw that the privets stretched for miles around, circling a large space within. I caught sight of Zach in the corner of my vision, calmly being held by two Snatchers, including Goldtooth, who leered evilly at me.

We were released and both pushed at the table, Snatchers and Death Eaters surrounding us. Zach protectively stood in front of me, to the sneers of many of the men. "Line 'em up." Droned a bored voice from a Death Eater seated behind the table. He scratched at his stubble as Zach and I were positioned in front of him, shoulder to shoulder.

There were a few seconds of suspense in which the Death Eater inspected both of us, his eyes dragging up and down our bodies, before he slid glasses onto his nose from a chain around his neck and dipped a red feathered quill into a pot of ink. He held the pen to a piece of parchment in front of him. "Names?" he barked.

I threw Zach a glance from the corner of my eye, unsure of what to say. We both contemplated for a second too long, and both received a harsh kick to our shins as punishment. I steadied myself and wet my lips. "Lavender Brown."

Zach hesitated a moment longer. "Zacharias Smith."

The quill scratched at the parchment, a chill breeze making me shudder. I kept on trying to sneak a peek at Zach's face, mentally sending him a goodbye that I knew he'd never hear.

"Age?" the Death Eater demanded.

"Seventeen." Zach spat, staring at the man with an expression of uttermost loathing.

"Sixteen." I whispered.

A fist came up, and then struck home.

I sagged, toppling to the ground as the world shook once more. "Speak up!" one of the Snatcher's roared much to the delight of his comrades. Zach was suddenly kneeling beside me, trying to help me to my feet.

"Oi!" the Death Eater behind the desk yelled, pointing a threatening finger at the Snatcher who'd thumped me.

"Oh come on, Blake. We were just having a bit of fun…"

Blake slapped Zach's aid away and hoisted me up in one quick movement. He turned to the Snatchers, his face red. "They're no use to us dead!" There was an eerie silence, to follow his words before he marched back behind the table and nodded at another Death Eater, a female with ginger hair.

Zach and I were shoved forward until we stood directly before the woman, who reached into her belt and retrieved a long, thin, bronze blade. Her eyes fixed on Zach in such a menacing stare that I flinched. "Hold out your hand." She ordered in a dry, low pitched voice.

Zach glanced at the blade with resentment. "And if I refuse?"

One of the Snatchers from behind him whipped out his wand and pressed it against my forehead. "Your _fiancé_ gets hurt." He said coldly.

Without a second thought, Zach flipped his hand over so that his palm was facing upwards. The woman cut a large slice into his pale skin that dribbled crimson red blood immediately. Zach squinted as she forced his hand onto a piece of parchment so white it was blinding. Red strands stained the parchment, and then strung together into one single line. I watched in horror as Zach's blood flowed up the parchment to the very top were it split into two tracks. On one side, the blood began to form letters that spelled out the words: _Phillip Terrance Smith_. My eyes glided over to the other side of the page, where three other words had been formed: _Heather Phyla Telltore._

"He's clean. A pureblood." The woman remarked casually, and Zach's hand was taken away. She then turned to me_, _cleaning the blood away from the knife's point. "Your turn."

I gulped as I slowly displayed my left hand to the woman with the knife. Her eyes hungrily took in the lines of my palm, before poising her knife to carve her own. I felt Zach tense beside me as the point stabbed into my flesh. I bit down on my lip as the blade lazily tore through the layers of my skin so that hot blood welled into the centre. She drew the knife away and turned my hand over, beginning to press it onto another piece of white parchment.

A tingling sensation crept through my arm as I watched my blood seep into the paper and uselessly spread around my hand. No trails of blood crept along the surface. The names of my parents weren't traced along the parchment. Because they weren't magical and weren't at all on any records.

Because I was a muggleborn.

"_She's scum!" _ The woman spat in disgust, flicking my blood from her knife as if it was diseased.

Two Death Eaters forced my arms behind me and held them tight. I desperately looked towards Zach, who was staring at me with wild eyes. "Remember what I said." He whispered hoarsely, as rough hands dragged him aside.

I shook my head. "No; Zach. Zach!" I screeched. They were taking him away. Zach's eyes remained locked with mine. His feet were dragged through the dirt as the men who held him pulled their wands from their pockets. I struggled in the grips of my captors. I was being pulled towards the towering gates that were slowly opening behind me.

"ZACH!" I was screaming now, agonizingly hysterical. _No._

A fist came up, and then struck home.

I barely noticed the pain. My eyes were fixed on Zach's form as he was released and stood before the Death Eaters. I savagely bit the shoulder of one of the Death Eaters holding me, who swore and loosened his grip. It was all I needed. I slammed my boot into his knee so hard that it concaved, and he released his hold. I was level with the gates now, and the second Death Eater grabbed at my other arm as I tried to pull away from him.

I spared another glance at Zach, who was on the ground now, looking up at the faces of the Snatchers with pure anger. The tallest of the pair lifted his wand. My legs frantically tried to run towards him, but didn't move because of the Death Eater's grip over me.

"ZAAACH!" My voice was hoarse from yelling.

He turned his head in my direction and stared at me for one horrible moment as the tip of the wand pointing at him alighted green. Then, faster than the flash that emanated from the wand tip, Zach rolled out of the way from the curse and sprinted as fast as he could across the vast expanse of field, in a desperate attempt to reach the forest's edge.

I released a breath of hope that caught as curses fired through the air, missing him by inches. Zach began to run in zigzags, barely dodging the rays of green that were lighting up the area in sufficient numbers. I frantically followed Zach's silhouette, as the blinding rising sun stung at my eyes.

I was forced further back behind the gate, and although I struggled in vain against the grasp of the Death Eater, the doors began to close. The spells were slipping past him so closely now, that even Zach, as an incredibly fast runner, couldn't dodge them for much longer. Breathing shallowly, I just caught a last glimpse of him running for his life as the gates shut.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was singing._

_It was the only way she knew how to keep the monsters away. A method that her mother had taught her when she was very young. When things became too horrible to focus on, the girl would simply have to distract herself. _

_So she sang. _

_She clutched the blanket to her chin, and stared into the darkness of her bedroom, whispering the lyrics underneath her breath. It had been truly nasty of her cousin to scare her with that story. Even though the girl had acted unperturbed as he had told it, the dynamics of the tale were uncomfortable to think about when one was alone in a dark room._

_The girl cleared her throat as she began to sing the chorus. She realised that she was being foolish. This was her room. In her house. She was safe here. Mummy and Daddy certainly made sure of that, so why fear the nonexistent creatures in the darkness? _

_The girl stopped singing and took a deep breath. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed them onto the floor. Her feet padding along the cold tile, she ran over to the light and after a moment of hesitation, a golden glow flooded the room._

_Neat, four walled a bed in the corner and a window over that. Her bedroom. As it always was. _

_The girl smiled, comforted and doused the light. Again the soles of her bare feet pattered across the floor. She climbed onto her bed and buried herself in the blankets. Just as she was drifting into her sleep, her green eyes flew open as the monsters from the story crept into her head once more. _

_For some reason, they only came when it was dark. _

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A/N: For anyone who thought that Ryuu and Zach might possibly have a thing – PSYCH!

Because Zach is gay and also I hate love triangles. I've only seen one used effectively ever. I think they can work – it's just a lot of the time they don't. I swear every young adult book I read these days has a love triangle in it and it's obvious from chapter one who she's going to end up with. It's tiresome.


	37. Chapter 15 - Anyone?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Thank you LoneWolfPack for your review; your playlist is on its way. I'm back again! In this chapter you get to see my sick creation of the Kennels. Pretty much from the moment I invented these things I knew I had to put Ryuu in one. *Shudders.*

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 15 – Anyone?

Draco

_I can't sleep._

_Not here._

I opened my eyes, slowly. Even that caused pain. My cheek was pressed against the cold hard floor. Just within the bars of my cell, I could make out a platter of food. Breakfast. Every muscle in my body ached. I barely had the energy to groan.

But I had to get up.

The concept itself made me miserable. Doing that would use so much energy. I tried to take a deep breath and ended up coughing violently. My body shook as I moved and zaps of pain sprang against my wrists.

_I have to get up._

_Now._

Carefully, and with much difficulty, I twitched my legs. I winced as the grazes brushed against the stone, causing them to bleed again. My arms dragged towards my face, bones cracking as they adjusted to movement. When my hands were level with my cheek, I took a deep breath.

I pushed down with the flat of my hands, my form struggling to rise. I wobbled, and I could practically see myself falling down. I grunted as I managed to twist myself into a kneeling position, and then looked around in a daze.

I'd done it.

My vision focused on the food. My arms shaking, I dragged myself towards the tray, relishing the support of the bars as I leaned upon them. The shackles around my feet tightened. This was as far as I could go.

I reached down to the food and picked up the green apple first. My eyes searched it, absorbing how fresh it was. My teeth pierced the skin, the juiced filling my dry mouth. Apples had never tasted better.

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Ryuu

Although several hundred emotions were battling for release within me, I took a deep breath and forced my face to look impassive. _I must not panic._ The words seared themselves onto the back of my eyelids, becoming deeper every time I blinked. After a few seconds of this process, I switched my brain to analytical mode and began to observe my prison.

It was huge. Enormous. The entire Kennel seemed to take up the space of several paddocks, and I assumed that it was protected by wards of invisibility so muggles couldn't see it. I was now standing just in front of the closed gate. Ahead of me was a vast cleared space that could easily fit several thousand people. A chestnut stage was positioned at the edge of the grass, a huge representation of the Dark Mark twisting and writhing on its backdrop.

I was pushed from behind, and stumbled forward. In the corner of my eye I saw the Death Eater I had bitten snarling at me. He steered me down the earth path, where I could see hundreds of wooden huts lined up in rows across the field. My eyes widened. The huts looked sickeningly familiar to a dog's kennel.

I was roughly pushed to the right. A long wooden building ran next to the earthen track. The Death Eater opened the door and shoved me inside. I spun around to face him, but the door slammed behind me. My eyes flickered over my shoulder to see three Death Eaters approaching me. Their clothes were slightly different to the usual Death Eater uniform. They wore dark shirts and breeches, with padded jackets over their chests.

I backed into the locked door and searched for an escape. The room had no windows and I shivered as the claustrophobia kicked in. I had to get out. I quickly spied another door at the end of the room and sprinted forwards, only to be caught in the arm of a Death Eater with sandy hair. I lashed out at him, sending fists flying at his exposed jaw. My attempts were hastily blocked by the speedy movement of his other arm. The other two Death Eaters grabbed at my legs, taking several harsh kicks from my boots with little bother. The Death Eaters carried me closer to the door, and forced me against the wall.

"Open it!" the sandy haired Death Eater barked.

The man holding my left leg pointed his wand at the door and it flew open. A fog emanated from the next room and drifted through the doorway. I stared at it in terror as the Death Eaters pulled my coat from my shoulders. After a few seconds of wondering at the fog, I vaguely realised that the Death Eaters were removing my clothes and hurled all of my body weight at them. I felt a sharp zap at my spine, and suddenly my body went limp. _No! _My mind screeched as the clothes that were far too big for me were removed and chucked aside. One word seared across my mind. _Rape._ I desperately tried to move but was paralysed. _Oh shit oh shit oh shit – stay calm. _

There was another zap at the base of my spine as the jinx was released and feeling returned to my body. The Death Eaters pushed my through the doorway with a mighty shove and I unceremoniously fell into a heap on the floor of the next room. Before I could react, the door snapped shut behind me and I was alone.

I clutched at my shoulders, fixing the straps of my bra as I stood and searched the mist. It clogged up the entire space, consuming it. I suddenly felt sick. _What is this stuff? Why am I standing in my underwear in a room full of it? _It was a pale pink colour, like strawberry ice cream in gas form. I looked around for a window, again with no luck. The panic gnawed at me, settling into my bones. I walked further into the mist, coughing as I breathed it in. My throat was tickling from the fog and I didn't know how much longer I could survive in here.

_Okay. Look for a door. Like in the other room._

Shaking with fear, I blindly reached out in front of me, searching for solidity of any kind. _Please… _My fingers stretched outwards. My throat felt raw. The sickening feeling in my stomach was churning dangerously. I was trapped. There was no escape. The walls were closing in…

I ran forwards and instantly collided with a wall. I twitched my nose, which had received the worst of the impact. My hands felt the wooden texture of the wall and I walked with my fingertips against the surface, following the wall in the hope of an escape.

A bang erupted from my left and I jumped. The fog drifted to one side of the room, and a figure came into clear view. The Death Eater looked over me as she grabbed my elbow and pulled me through the now visible door. "What was that _mist?"_ I demanded, "What did you do to me?!" My voice was hoarse and a cough raked my throat.

She ignored me and pushed me into the weak sunlight of the outside world. I squinted in the brightness. Suddenly, a dark shape flew towards me, and was pulled down over my head. I swayed in disorientation, before realising that I was now dressed in a hessian material that was draped over me in a fold similar to a toga.

"This one didn't require the Disconcealment Room," The female Death Eater said casually to her colleague. "From the looks of her, she wasn't using Polyjuice potion or anything of the kind. Plus…" she held up the outfit that I had been wearing, "her clothes don't have any magical enhancements to them."

I cleared my throat and was disgusted to see that my breath was coming out in pink tinged wisps of fog. I glanced around the area. I had come out just past the stage. Now, I could see fields of harrowed farmland. I frowned as I spied the people planting and digging at the earth. Like me, they were all dressed in the brown togas that looked like they had been hacked from potato sacks.

"She also had this knife on her. It definitely came from a Snatcher…" I could feel the woman eyeing me with scrutiny.

I looked back to the Death Eaters and paled. The female was holding _my_ wand. It was so unnatural to see _my_ wand in _her_ hand that I physically sagged in exhaustion. It was so close. My fingers hungered for a weapon, and here was one right in front of me that was personalised to _my_ command. Without thinking consciously, I swiped for it. The reaction from the two Death Eaters was explosive. The next thing I was aware of, the air was pierced with two voices yelling: _"Crucio!"_

Pain.

So much incredibly agonising pain that I couldn't move. I remained standing and silent, as burning liquid was pumped through my body from the effects of both casters. Rusty needles scraped at my flesh. Jabbing. Axes cut into my side, hacking through skin, muscle blood and bone until they crunched at my core. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't die.

The spell stopped as quickly as it had begun.

I fell to the ground, twitching violently, unable to stand. I felt numb, yet sore at the same time. I was barely aware of where I was. How could that matter when that kind of torture exists? I stared unblinkingly at the earth next to my face. A loose piece of gravel. Disturbed mud, a footprint. For a fleeting moment I wondered if it would be the last thing I ever saw. If I would die here on the ground in this prison – violated, tortured and panicky. If I'd break Den's promise. If Felicity and Dominic Veil would die childless. If in Dumbledore's office on the large roll of parchment a small black cross would appear next to my name. I began to wonder if I was okay with that.

I wasn't.

I lay still, listening to the Death Eaters talk above me.

"She dead?"

"Dunno. Never seen someone take two at once. Maybe."

I was rolled onto my back by the man's boot. "No," he said, "she's breathing." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me upwards. I just managed to balance on my heels as he grabbed at my upper arm. He looked back towards the woman. "She's a fighter, this one."

The woman scowled, then, with a cold glance at me, held out a hand with my wand and knife resting in it. "Take these to Storage. They're still usable. Then take _her_ to the Manager. He'll know what to do."

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Draco

The emptiness was screaming at me. There was nothing. Literally nothing in this cell. Just me. Even my guards kept their distance, lingering outside the door at the end of the dark, dank passage. I could call out to them, if that made a difference. Which it didn't. Nothing did. In this space there was only the oppressing stillness, the constant darkness and myself.

Hollow.

Why were they keeping me here? There was no practical reason – no logical inevitability to my existence here. Snape hadn't visited for days- _weeks? _I couldn't be sure. Nothing was certain in the darkness. Time, safety, use.

I was never able to catch a glimpse of the person who delivered my food because they always did so while I was in disorientating snatches of deep sleep. That is – if it _was_ a person. It was plausible that the food simply appeared of its own accord so as not to bestow someone with the arduous task of feeding me.

Yes, that was more likely.

The rest of the routine was enchanted. At a certain time every day, my shackles would disappear allowing me to walk around my cell and use the bathroom behind the walled segment of the prison. For the first few times that I had been allowed this period of semi-freedom I had tried to find a means of escape.

But the realisation had dawned on me quickly. What use was there in trying? If I did manage to succeed, which was practically impossible, I would end up in Death Eater territory and would be killed. No, Hogwarts – no matter how unhospitable it was – provided me my only chance for survival. The only place for a traitor of the Dark Lord was in chains or in coffin.

Traitor.

How ironic the word had become. Before the war, the act of treachery had seemed completely unthinkable to me. It was a sin worthy of a deathly punishment. I'd never questioned the morals that had been drilled into my head from birth, because, well, my morals promised me that I was in the right.

But now treachery appeared almost… _beneficial._ If I hadn't betrayed my loyalties I wouldn't be here. I'd be dead. Somehow death was not an option. Something deep within me was forcing me to stay alive, encouraging me that there was a profound reason for doing so._ Survival instinct, I suppose. _

Maybe if I'd acted sooner, Mother would still be alive.

For some time my mind went blank as I recollected her death. It gnawed at me. It was the only way to describe it. An ongoing feeling that I'd missed so many opportunities. So many chances. _My own mother…_

I hadn't been able to hold her as she died. That's all I'd wanted, to take her hand or hold her close one last time. But no, my father had struck me away. I'd been denied that last request. That desperate need to hold her one last time.

I did not blame myself for her death. Nor Father. I couldn't. In her last moments, and for months prior, Narcissa had been trying to tell me something. A message. That the situation we had found ourselves in was wrong. That for her it was too late. But not for me. I had seen it in her eyes as she'd died. She'd hated Voldemort's hold over our family – over _her_ family. Her last wish had been for my escape.

Maybe she'd be proud.

_Oh Mother, _I thought in anguish, _I never told you. I love you. I do. _

The door creaked as it opened.

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Ryuu

Once my head had cleared of swaying fits of uncertainty and confusion, I flicked back into my analytical mode as I caught sight of the Storage Room. It was of similar structure to the Disconcealment Room; both long rectangular buildings made of wood. However, the Storage Room was taller and had several doors protruding from the walls, suggesting that it was used with greater frequency than the other buildings. I scanned the area around it, noting that I was still close to the stage but had better sight of the farming grounds. I stared with curiosity as I saw a few of the workers catch sight of me and watch with indifference.

The Death Eater who had a hold of me pushed me to the ground. I landed awkwardly on my side, dirt and dust clogging my fingernails. I looked up to see him entering the Storage Room through one of the doors. I shakily rose to my feet and began to edge closer to the doorway. _What is he doing with _my_ wand?_

"_HEY!_ Blondie!"

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned my head to look towards the voice. A thick man with greying hair was striding towards me, his brown eyes glaring into mine. A silver net swung from his belt with each troll-like step. He pointed his wand threateningly at my head as he towered over me with his immense height. I resumed an air of calm to challenge his obviously angry demeanour.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growled.

I didn't answer, following a quick and simple plan I had made after the two Death Eaters had tortured me. The authority here was too strong. They had means by which they could get me to talk. From what I had gathered by the looks of uncertainty that had passed cautiously from eye to eye of the Snatchers when they had found my knife, they weren't happy about how I had acquired it. The tone of the woman who was outside of the Disconcealment Rooms even implied that she feared my possession of the knife. Fear was a dangerous thing in the hands of power. My past in the battlefield would only mean danger in a place like this. The best thing I could do to keep my identity a secret was to remain silent. If I gave them the illusion that I couldn't talk, it might lessen their chances of trying to make me.

"Hey Blondie! Are you listening? I gave you an order!" He stared into my gaze for any sign of comprehension, but I kept it blank. His flabby chin tightened and he waved a hand in front of my face. I continued to act as if I was uninterested, but really my eyes were flitting over the items that he wore around his belt. Not only was there a coiled net that was carried by all Snatchers, but a clipboard completed with parchment and quill and what looked like the talon of a griffon.

The man nudged me as if I was a mindless zombie that might react to physical movement. I caught myself before I stumbled and he narrowed his eyes at me, sweeping them up and down my body. He opened his mouth to say something offensive, but before he could speak the Death Eater returned from the Storage Room and gave the Snatcher a look of contempt.

"Report back to your _own_ duties, Symonds and learn your place;" the Death Eater snarled. "You _Snatchers_ have caused us nothing but trouble around here."

Symonds flushed. "You have no authority over me, Greenwood."

The tension between the two men thickened and I observed with interest. _So the Death Eaters and the Snatchers have some rivalry…_that could possibly be manipulated to my advantage. Greenwood dragged me away from Symonds, muttering curses under his breath. When he noticed my slightly concealed smirk that I didn't hide quickly enough he slapped it off my face with a brutal backhand that left my cheek stinging; and tugged me towards our destination with more ferocity.

I was pulled past the workers in the fields and towards the end of the earthen road. Ahead were the rows of large wooden Kennels which all appeared ghostly empty. I could see a large shadow beyond them, but the angle of the sun meant I couldn't distinguish what was there. Greenwood led me to the left where an absurdly large house stood omnipotent atop a heap of clumsily constructed scaffolding.

The entire thing was impossible, with the enormous apartment on top of such flimsy support. Windows lined the walls to create a beautifully hellish view for anyone relaxing inside. Two chimneys merrily puffed crow-black smoke from their mouths. The sight would have been impressive if it wasn't so pretentious. The Manager had gone to such extremes to make his commanding presence not only known, but thrust in the faces of all those suffering below him. It was so unnecessarily and sickeningly petty that waves of anger lapped on the surface of my skin, begging to be released in a merciless tsunami of rage.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't let the pressure get to me. _Calm, control._

Greenwood hauled me towards the scaffolding and I looked up at him in surprise. There weren't any stairs or other means of reaching the top. Sure enough, he ignored me and continued to lead me in a direct line. Suddenly as we took another few steps, I found myself face to face with a door and staggered in shock. As Greenwood knocked I frantically looked around to see that we were now inside of a candlelit and finely decorated hallway that could only be inside the residence of the Manager's apartments. There must have been an enchantment on a certain space below that caused us to appear here. A gruff call of entry from behind the door snapped me back to my senses just as I was pushed through the mahogany doorway.

My bare feet struck soft sapphire blue carpet. It encompassed the entire space, to the edges of the flagstone walls. The room was dressed in so much elegance that it dripped with lies, like a grimy beggar wearing a spotless top hat and tails. It probably would've annoyed the Manager for me to notice such a thing and that knowledge gave me a peculiar feeling of giddiness. What a _small, small_ man. He daily torments the lives of innocent and still tries to promote his class and dignity. _Well, he doesn't fool me… _I reminded myself to not let my insane cockiness show. Not here.

Just as this thought arose, my eyes ceased their mindless drift over the tacky antiques that lined the walls and focused on the main attraction. The glossy desk reminded me of the timber used in the furniture at Malfoy Manor. A crystal decanter filled with blood red wine sat on one side of the desk, glasses surrounding it in a ring. On the other side of the desk was a familiar object; approximately three feet tall and made of solid gold. It was the house elf from the fountain at the Ministry of Magic. Its lined face was still smiling humbly, and its eyes were looking up in adoration at the golden witch and wizard that were no longer above it.

My gut twisted. Everything about this situation – down to the fact that I was dressed like a house elf in a room dressed for a lord – was so _oppressing._ Never before had I felt this helpless, and it finally registered with me just how low a point I had reached. I was a slave. I had no rights whatsoever. In the eyes of everyone else, I was no longer a person.

A movement caught my eye. I mentally stumbled, for I hadn't noticed the extra presence previously. He was wearing robes that was the same crimson colour as the tapestry draped on the wall behind him, and my eyes had scrolled over him without a second glance. He carried a glass of wine in his hand and a wand in the other. From the way he looked at me with an unyielding flat stare I knew he was the Manager. What struck me most was how normal he looked. Thin straggly brown hair that reached just past his chin, tanned skin that brought out the sharp hue of his pale eyes. He licked the wine that lingered on his lips and sniffed his large nose, eyeing me with distaste. When he spoke it was with a gruff voice that held undertones of demand so strong that it sent shivers down my spine.

"Kneel before your Master."

I struggled between my hatred of this man and my desire to avoid a beating. Every nerve in my body was telling me to fall to my knees. I was still aching from the physical and emotional stress I had received in the last hour. However, my mind was screaming at me to do otherwise. Out of nowhere, words that Hermione had once said hissed at me from the back of my head._ "Your pride is no reason to receive physical pain."_ As I continued to weigh up my options, this piece of advice persisted. After several strenuous moments of fighting against the Manager's flat stare I slowly sank to my knees, hating Hermione's logic as I did.

The Manager smiled to himself, glancing at Greenwood who was still positioned at the door. "What's the story?"

"This one was found by Snatcher Squad Two. She and her apparent fiancé attempted to flee but were caught and arrived here at a quarter past seven this morning, Sir. Her fiancé was pureblood and he was… disposed of." I made no sign of recognising his lie. "She wasn't under the affect of Polyjuice Potion and her clothing bore no secrecy enchantments. Her behavioural issues are unreliable. Knott told me that she lashed out at him and bit into his arm, drawing blood."

The Manager raised an eyebrow. He glanced back at my face with an expression that was mingled with both anger and curiosity. "Anything else?"

"She's sixteen years old Sir, and claims her name is Lavender Brown, however records tell us that Lavender Brown is a pureblood… she was found with a knife on her, Sir. A Snatcher's knife."

The Manager walked towards me with a deliberately slow gait in an attempt at intimidation. He pursed his lips as I kept my unwavering stare locked with his. With a crude sense of amusement he tilted onto one foot and leaned to the side, sneering as my gaze shifted to accommodate his actions. "Hmmm." He said in a fashion that suggested he was taking notes. "Rise." He commanded.

I rose.

His eyes swept over me, absorbing every inch of me. "Caucasian female, approximately sixteen to eighteen years of age." As he spoke a golden Quick Quotes Quill scratched across a piece of parchment on the desk behind him. "Curly blond hair, green eyes, short and slim in stature." His eyes paused and narrowed as they noticed my arm. With one quick movement he waved his wand and my left arm lifted into the air. "Identifiable by scars on inner left arm spelling out the word _Traitor. _Possibly self inflicted. Possibly right handed." My arm flopped to my side as the spell was released.

The Manager raised his wand to point at my nose. My heart rate increased and my hands curled into fists out of instinct. Greenwood's boot collided with my calf and I cried out, mentally cursing myself as I did. "Don't even think about it!" he roared, and I uncurled my fists; very conscious of the fact that I'd made a noise. _Make no sound. None at all. _My eyes fixed onto the wand, still trying to decipher what the Manager was about to do. His mouth curled to form the curse and I latched on to the truth just in time.

"_Imperio."_

The familiar feeling of total relaxation flowed through me, numbing the pain shooting through my leg and aching in my tired muscles. For a few seconds, I let it overwhelm me, before reminding myself of the harsh reality and hastily preparing my mind.

_Tell me your name._

The urge to comply was strong, but I gradually fought it off. _No,_ I told myself, _you are in danger._ _Calm, control._

_Tell me your name._

The laziness that consumed me was intoxicating. Why did I need to struggle? Everything was fine and always will be. _I'm not alone. I'm safe- STOP. _I brought myself out of the trance in a hurry, thankful that I still hadn't told the Manager anything and barricading my mind away from his cold stare. _I must not let them break me._

_Tell me your name, NOW!_

…_I… won't. I won't!_

_TELL ME!_

_NO!_

My eyes snapped open so violently that it hurt. The manager was leaning against his desk, his face tinged red. I vaguely realised that I must have pushed him. I was swept with such pride that I'd managed to hold my ground against a mental attack that I barely noticed how afraid I should be.

"_Crucio!"_

I fell to the ground, screaming.

It stopped.

"_Crucio!"_

I thrashed dangerously, my screams ripping through my vocal chords, tearing my lungs and making me lose breath.

It stopped.

"_Crucio!"_

My entire being jolted, every nerve in my body twisted and writhed in-time with me.

It stopped.

"_Crucio!"_

I couldn't take it. The pain. Somehow this routine was worse. Like having a knife stabbed into you and brought out, giving you just enough time to heal before making another mark. I screamed louder.

It stopped.

I lay curled up on the floor, twitching madly. _Is it over?_ I carefully opened my eyes. They rested on the midnight blue carpet next to my face. My breathing hesitantly began to work again, like a baby animal taking its first steps. My vision focused onto the scene past what was directly in front of me. I listened consciously to the sound of my own heartbeat to make sure it was still there. I was alive, yet uncertain of whether that was good or bad news.

I clumsily shifted out of my foetal position and back onto my knees. My body was trembling and my lips felt dry. I focused on keeping my eyes in the same condition. I would not cry in front of this man. _Not ever. _The Manager spoke, but I barely listened. "Take It away. There's enough room in Kennel 24."

"But Sir…" Greenwood began daringly, "will you not use veritaserum?"

"There's no point, Greenwood! If It can resist the effects of the Imperius curse, then It can build resilience to veritaserum!" The Manager's control was slipping. His anger was rising by the second. "This one has something to hide… but we will find out soon enough."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Greenwood pulled and prodded me into a standing position and began to drag me towards my next destination. My feet skidded across the floor, and then through the dirt. He pushed me through the rows of wooden huts until they all appeared the same to my hazy eyes. We neared the edge of the field and as I looked up, I saw the shadow that I had seen previously, when I was standing from a distance. But I was closer now. And I could make out exactly what it was.

The breath caught in my throat. _No… that… can't be…_

Bodies.

_A pile of bodies._

Layers upon layers of people – _muggleborns; _all of them were wearing the toga that I was. Men, women… I shoved my hand in my mouth to stop myself from gagging- _children. _From their positions, they looked like they had been carelessly tossed onto the pile. Their corpses had not only been inhumanely disposed of, but some appeared mutilated. Blood. Bruises. Faces contorted in fear. Broken bones. Open eyes. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my insides churn. _No. This is… too much_.

"Move along." Greenwood ordered, shoving me cruelly in the back. I hadn't even noticed that I'd stopped. I tore my eyes from the ghastly sight and fixed them on the ground. How could I possibly deal with the fact that there was a pile of dead people directly to the left of me?

Sure enough, I didn't need to. Greenwood physically lifted me from my feet and slung me over his shoulder. Even while I hung there, I kept my hand held firmly in my mouth, biting down on it so hard that I drew blood. I swayed awkwardly as he strode past several dozen Kennels. Eventually he stopped, and I forced myself to turn my head to see where I was. It was a Kennel like any other, with the number twenty-four plastered on the door in red paint. The entrance was tediously small; one could only fit through by means of crawling. Greenwood kicked the door open and bowled me unceremoniously through the small hole and into the Kennel.

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Draco

He didn't decide to show himself until he was in front of the bars. The wand tip ignited to show Dumbledore's aged face watching me with twinkling eyes. He tilted his head to the side, as if admiring a pleasant view before magically creating a purple cushioned chair in which he sat upon, arranging his robes for optimal comfort. "Good evening Draco," Dumbledore began with a welcoming tone.

So it was evening? I stored the information away for later. My chains clinked as I cleared my throat, thinking of how I could possibly reply. In the end, I decided upon one word. "Professor."

Dumbledore smiled warmly and gestured towards me. "It is a comfort to see that you are coping well." I stared at him incredulously. What about my current situation suggested that I was 'coping well'? Dumbledore failed to notice my scorn and nodded to himself. He leaned back in his chair and the light glinted over his half moon spectacles so that I couldn't see his eyes. His tone seemed almost conversational.

"I suppose that by now you are wondering why you are here. Well, I can assure you that I am thinking exactly the same question." He twirled his wand through his fingers, but the light remained unwavering on his face. "You puzzle me, Draco – which is no easy feat. I always assumed that you would join Lord Voldemort, however it never occurred to me that you would resist him."

Why did no one understand? "Voldemort killed my mother." A memory stirred at the back of my head. "He is nothing but a murderer." I shifted into a more comfortable position, so that my back was digging into a different section of stone on the wall. Dumbledore sensed my uneasiness and leaned closer as if studying me in a laboratory.

"But if there is one thing that I have learned about Voldemort over my years, it is that he works in mysterious ways. I do believe that Voldemort murdered Narcissa. But has he relinquished his hold over you, Draco?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I came here to_ join_ you, not to spy on you."

Dumbledore clicked his tongue absentmindedly and pulled his wand from his sleeve. "We shall see." With a casual flick of his wand, he invaded my mind.

Never before had I experienced such incredible power within my head. His mental touch was devastatingly accurate, and it riffled through my thoughts, memories, ideas, aspirations, dreams; _everything_ with cold spindly fingers that knew exactly what they were doing. I couldn't resist. There was no way I could possibly attempt to. He was far too strong. Inhumanly strong.

_What have you done under Lord Voldemort's will?_

The booming voice echoed throughout my skull, vibrating around the edges. I could hear myself screaming, far away. Images arose to the surface of my eyes. Rufus Scrimgeour being killed in his office by Blaise, whose face was shrouded in darkness. Breaking into the Hogwarts kitchens. Pansy killing the house elves because they screamed. The reflection of my Dark Mark in the mirror, and the hate seeping through me. Myself sitting on the rooftops of Diagon Alley, waiting for the galleon signal to attract the enemy.

_What are Lord Voldemort's future strategies?_

I didn't know. He hadn't confided in even his most honoured Death Eaters about what he would do. Dumbledore demanded the question again, but I screamed at him my confusion and after a few more grudging seconds of waiting, he moved on.

_Why did you leave the Death Eaters?_

The green light that killed my mother. My father's unjust blame. Voldemort's snake coiled in a position that promised attack. Sprinting through the side passages in Diagon Alley and trying to decide whether I was running away from or towards the Death Eaters.

_How did you come here?_

His hold was unbearable; I struggled against it, willing it to stop. It stubbornly persisted. I showed him my dash from Malfoy Manor. The curses that only just missed me. The trees that snagged at me as I burst through the forest. My mad haste to Disapperate, leading me to the clearing that's showed Hogwarts as a silhouette in the distance. There was a pause in which Dumbledore ensnared my mind and waited patiently, only I wasn't certain of why. I tore at his bonds in a feeble attempt to try and attack his mind, but to no prevail. Just when I felt myself losing consciousness, Dumbledore asked his last question.

_Why did you come to Hogwarts?_

Her green eyes staring through mine.

I came to, and was shocked to find myself still sitting upright. My wrist irons scratched at my skin so brutally that's several strands of hot blood trickled down my arm. My breathing was shallow and scratchy; it took me awhile to return it to its standard pace. My head lolled lazily so that I could look at Dumbledore, who's mouth had formed a perfect 'o'. Hastily, he pushed his spectacles further up his crooked nose.

"That's why I came here," I croaked awkwardly. There was no point in hiding now. I forced politeness into my tone, asking softly. "Now, will you let me see her?"

The old man stood, glaring at me with eyes like thunderclouds. "No, Draco. I will not."

My patience had run out. Rage and annoyance battled for dominance within me, but it honestly didn't matter who won. My voice still shrieked out in a yell anyway. "WHERE IS SHE?!" Dumbledore doused the light and quickly exited the dungeon. I struggled against my chains and called out again, even though I knew no one would hear. _"LET ME SEE RYUU VEIL!"_

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Ryuu

My eyelids felt like they had been weighted down. It took several minutes of serious self persuasion to open them. When I did, the realisation of ache all over my body hit me like a brick wall and I groaned. Why was there always pain? I distinctly tasted the flavour of blood in my mouth from when I'd bitten down on my hand. It's metallic smell filled my nostrils and I felt like gagging but didn't have the energy. I stretched my limbs, relieving some of the tension. My vision was still blurry, and all I could see was a murky shade of brown above me. My head throbbed from where it had struck the ground. I lifted my hand and massaged my temple.

"New girl's awake."

I froze. The voice was unfamiliar. It struck me at that moment just how unaware of my surroundings I actually was. What had happened to me? The last thing I remembered was Greenwood throwing me into Kennel 24…

I sat up so suddenly that I became disorientated. The world tilted in time with me and I struggled to regain balance. My hand moved down from my temple and clutched my ear, which caused the swaying to stop. My eyes cleared and I could see the four timber walls of the Kennel that boxed me. It was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, but I still felt uncomfortable because there were no windows in sight.

"Are you alright?"

I woozily turned towards the voice to see an old man with smoky blue eyes. He was a slave, I could see by the toga he wore. Huddled behind him were several pairs of wide eyes looking on with interest. These were obviously the other members of my Kennel. I unsteadily got to my feet so I could see them better. There were both men and women. Elderly, middle aged and people who looked to be roughly the same age as me. I even spotted a few children hiding behind the legs of adults who could not be their parents. I looked back towards the old man who seemed to be the leader. I figured that it wouldn't be too harmful to speak to the prisoners, just as long as I didn't do so around Death Eaters. "I'm fine," I said hoarsely.

The man nodded sincerely, and gestured to the people around him. "Well, give her some privacy. She's still in shock."

"I'm fine," I repeated dumbly.

The crowd dispersed and went to certain areas of the Kennel. I did a quick count as I watched them walk around. Fifteen people altogether. They split into groups who huddled against the walls, or formed a circle around a flimsy little fire that was barely clinging on to its last flames. It was positioned in the middle of the earthen floor and cast flickering shadows across the surface of the walls that unnerved my peripheral vision.

"I'm Horace," the old man continued from behind me. "Horace Hutchinson."

I nodded. "And how long have you been here Horace?"

An eerie silence emanated from the old man, but I didn't turn to look at him. I could sense him struggling to find the words and I waited patiently.

'I'm… not sure exactly. I just know I was one of the first."

I lowered my head and walked over to a dark corner that was unoccupied by anyone else. This point of the room was the furthest away from the door. No one bothered with me as I settled myself into the corner. When I looked up it was only to see that a heavily built boy across from me shifted his gaze from staring and instead focused on the ground. I familiarised myself with my corner, noting the small gap between two panels of wood, where I could see through into the outside world. The stars winked at me. I brought my legs in towards me and wrapped my arms around them to keep me warm in my own embrace. I allowed one more scan of the environment before I switched off my analytical mode with a blink of an eyelid.

The tears flowed freely down my cheeks and I sobbed into my knees uncontrollably. _Did Zach survive? Are my parents safe? What the hell is going to happen to me?! _I bit down on my mouth, but my eyes continued to water, and I couldn't stop shaking. _No one can help me. Is there nobody listening?! Is anyone there?!_

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Draco

_Anyone?_

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was sneaking._

_She slinked around the doorway and trod carefully across the floor, trying not to make a sound. It was of the upmost importance that she was quiet and stealthy, otherwise this wouldn't work. There was only one way to find out the truth, and if she didn't act quickly, she'd never know. She flicked her head from side to side to scan the deserted hallway. The coast was clear. With the lightest patter of her feet the girl tiptoed across to the cupboard opposite her bedroom. She leaned against the door and grasped the handle. _

_It was locked._

"_Dammit!" the girl murmured. She'd have to try again another day._

"_You didn't really believe we'd make it that easy for you?"_

_The girl grimaced and slowly turned to face the amused wrath of her mother. The woman raised an eyebrow, her eyes flitting over her daughter's position, which was still frozen in the act of the crime. The girl turned away from the door and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, hi Mum… I was just checking the door."_

"_Uh-huh." The mother hid a smirk. "May I ask what for?"_

"_Splinters." The girl replied promptly. "They're dangerous. With common use a door can get a substantial amount of them," she recited with ease. "I was just seeing if there were any on this door. It's a fire hazard."_

"_Oh I'm sure it is…" the mother answered. "Except I believe that the fire originated somewhere on your pants. Liar."_

_The girl sighed. "Okay, you got me." She crossed her arms. "Although you have to admit that was a good one…"_

"_Genius." The mother replied as she stepped towards the door. Her eyes traced over the wood before resting on the doorknob. As the girl watched in wonder, her mother unlocked the door and pushed it open._

_The cupboard was empty. The girl frowned. "But Daddy said that you were hiding my Christmas presents in here… unless," the girl turned towards her mother and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "you're giving me this cupboard?"_

_The mother smiled brilliantly. "Unlike you, your father is a competent liar. Your presents are hidden somewhere else."_

_The girl leaned against the doorframe and admired the closet. "It's a shame. This might have been a good present…"_

"_In that case," the mother said as she presented the cupboard to her daughter with enthusiastic arm gestures, "Merry Christmas!"_

_The girl deadpanned and looked up at her mother with green eyes that were glowing with sarcasm. "Oh my, Mother! How did you know?!"_

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A/N: The Manager is everything I hate about people combined into one character.


	38. Chapter 16 - Ally

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Thank you Neko Of Light for your review, much appreciated. Also, a shout out to BunnyMooMooMonster for your continued support. Back to the story and prepare yourself for another torturous chapter in the Kennels. I'm trying to decide who has it worse at the moment – Draco or Ryuu?

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 16 – Ally

Ryuu

I was awoken abruptly by the dreadful sound of a horn. It bellowed across the entire area of the Kennels, and I couldn't imagine where it had originated. My eyes were still wet from the crying I had submitted to last night, and I wiped them dry. I had fallen asleep in my corner, hunched in a ball. I looked around the Kennel. Everyone was rising to their feet and dragging themselves towards the door. I hastily followed suit, ducking behind a child who was as high as my hip.

In a line, we crouched to exit the Kennel and came out onto the dirt road. Around us were other prisoners who were doing the same thing, walking along in straight lines. Death Eaters and Snatchers kept watch from between each Kennel, eyeing us with wands drawn. I walked along with the procession, watching them from the corner of my eye. As we neared the pile of bodies, I turned my eyes downcast. The young girl in front of me did the same, her small frame clenching in discomfort. _What has our world come to, _I thought, _if a child witnesses horrors such as this on a daily basis?_

I looked up once we had passed the mound. All of the prisoners continued walking, and I looked ahead in curiosity. At first I presumed we were heading for the farms, until I noticed bundles of people ahead veering off-course. It was then that I was alighted to our true destination. The lines of slaves filed into the field containing the stage with obvious dread. The sun was just breaking the horizon and the crisp morning air was so chilling it burnt my lungs. My feet plodded along in rhythm with everyone else's, collecting dirt in my toenails. The field was already half full of people before I entered.

I looked up at the stage and couldn't suppress a scowl. The Dark Mark was twisting on the backdrop and the manager was seated below it on a throne-like chair. At his feet was a woman who was acting as a footrest for him. She had her eyes closed and was obviously shaking. As I watched in disgust, the Manager applied pressure to her back and she fell flat on her face. "Weakling!" he yelled at her. "Get up!" The woman quickly got back into position and the Manager swung his feet onto her back once more.

"_Bastard."_ I muttered. The young girl next to me tugged at my wrist and when I looked down at her she was shaking her head vigorously, her innocent eyes wide.

"Attention all slaves. This is your Master." His voice was amplified from the wand he held to his throat. "The forces of our most great and wonderful Lord are winning this war with ease. Why, several times a week they invade the _impenetrable_ fortress of _Hogwarts"_

There were sniggers from the Death Eaters and Snatchers listening on. I rolled my eyes.

"_However,_ the enemy has still failed to notice their inevitable defeat. They weakly battle against us, while we strongly hold our ground!" His voice rose to a yell and there were cheers from the Death Eaters. The crowd of prisoners remained disturbingly silent, staring at the ground. The Manager's gaze swept the audience before he continued. "They sneakily and cowardly attack our soldiers from behind; dishonourably refusing to follow our marvellous Lord." The Snatchers booed and hissed, waving fists at the prisoners. "Three minutes silence for all those valiant Death Eaters and Snatchers, who have lost their lives at the hands of the treasonous scum that is our enemy will now commence."

The Manager lowered his wand and turned to face the Dark Mark insignia. He knelt before it with his head bowed. As one, the audience motioned to do the same. I crossed my arms and stood defiantly upright as everyone began to drop to their knees. _This is insane. _Suddenly, I felt the tug at my wrist again. The girl was looking up at me with such pleading eyes, that before I knew it I was on my knees, holding her chubby little hand tightly.

The silence stretched its twisted relevance through the ears of every beholder. It weighed heavily on the shoulders of the prisoners, as did the knowledge of what would happen if somebody sneezed at the wrong moment. Several times I looked up at the stage only to see that the Manager hadn't moved from his position at all. Suddenly a murmuring oath broke out from the Death Eaters, led by the Manager.

"_Our blood remains pure,_

_Our wands remain ready,_

_Our Lord we shall serve."_

I felt sick.

The Manager called the end of the assembly and in unison the slaves marched off towards the farmland. I felt the grip of the girl's hand loosen as she ducked and weaved through the crowd, leaving my sight. I took a deep breath, mentally thanking the girl. It was like Zach had said. _Keep your head down and your mouth shut._

It hurt to think about Zach so I forced him from my mind as I followed the slaves into the agricultural fields. Everyone moved off into their own private sections and I glanced around, wondering who to follow. I watched as people walked along lines of crops that had been planted into the soil. The fields stretched on for a few miles, yet everyone had found a place in which to work. One by one, they bent and harrowed at the earth with their hands, whilst others fetched seeds from large containers that were guarded by Death Eaters. Slaves shuffled past me, their eyes downcast. I peered into each of their faces, looking for something- _anything _- although I wasn't exactly sure what. I teetered at the edge of the fields, searching for a place to begin labouring when I saw him.

It was the boy from my Kennel. He was looked only a few years older than I was, possibly in his mid-twenties… it was difficult to tell because of his physique. One thing was certain, this guy was strong; and I sensed that strength went deeper than muscle. His thick brown hair curled over his head innocently. His cream-coloured skin was worked with dirt, but that hardly bothered me. His eyes did. They were quite a unique shade of hazel; sky blue with an earthen brown erupting in certain areas, and locked with my own. Somehow, I felt something effervescing beneath their surface, a silent message that was caught by my eyes only.

_Trust._

I subtlety sidled my way through the crowd to follow him, keeping myself at a discreet distance. He walked past the wheat crops, casting me a corner glance as he rounded towards the onion fields. I traced his steps with my eyes, bending down whenever I felt the glare of a Death Eater on my back.

Eventually, I worked my way around the field until I was bent in work beside him. I patted absently at the soil, accidently unearthing some misshapen seeds that had been planted there. The boy began to dig at the earth and I quickly followed suit, mirroring his technique. After an hour of this, he abruptly stood and walked down the aisle of plants. My stare followed his retreating form until he stopped at a container. I relaxed. He returned with a handful of seeds and a bucket of water. He placed the bucket on the ground between us and handed me half of the seeds. For a few seconds I observed him tenderly depositing the seeds into the dirt and burying them with slight movements of his hand. I copied him to the best of my ability, and while I did, I felt him glance at me. I hoped he understood my wordless message. Anyone knew how to plant a seed. My endeavour in copying his technique was not a thirst for education, but a conveyance of language. My own secret message.

_Trust._

I heard the footsteps of a Death Eater behind me and quickly forced all of my focus into planting. I sensed that the boy was doing the same, because I felt the tension of the previous moment snap into nothingness. I didn't look up as the Death Eater coughed and continued striding down the line. But as soon as I could no longer hear his footsteps I parted my lips into the tiniest gap and began to whisper so that only the boy next to me could hear.

"This food is for them isn't it? Because their house elves were stolen," I breathed.

He handed me the water bucket and nodded over the rim. I steadied the weight of the bucket over the seedlings and carefully poured the water, the boy holding the base of the bucket in assistance. As soon as the water hit the soil, the seeds sprouted into life and onions began to grow, with much more speed than was natural. _Magically enhanced food endorsed by slave labour. Typical. _

We watched as the food blossomed below us and then the boy rose to his feet. I brushed the dirt from my knees and was about to stand when he pulled me to my feet in one fluid movement. I looked at him in surprise, but he didn't notice because he'd already moved on to the next section of planting.

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Planting was easy. Tedious, sure. But out of all the options of labour it was definitely the least exhausting. By the end of it, the only signs of work were layers of dirt in my fingernails, a slight ache in my knees and the wasted hours of my life.

The Death Eaters orchestrated a kind of cycle with the slaves. After four hours in one job, we were quickly shoved into the next one; with no pause for rest or nourishment. In the course of one day, I found myself reaping wheat with a blade that was as much use as a butterknife; harrowing at stubborn soil with a long wooden stick that had to be forced against the ground with all of my bodyweight to make a dent; and tearing up nettles with my bare hands, making my skin burn red and break out in lumps. I ground my teeth, tearing off bits of cloth from my tunic to wrap around my stinging hands.

Always the Death Eaters and Snatchers wandered around the fields, scrying out the weak links with unyielding stares. If anyone stopped working for more than a few seconds, it was only to feel the crack of a stinging jinx strike their back like a whip as a warning to speed up. Every now and then, the Death Eaters would point at certain slaves and demand them towards another location. I listened closely as the next person was singled out. "You there!" A Death Eater with ginger hair barked.

The man he was pointing to ceased harrowing and stood to attention, averting his eyes from the Death Eater's face. The ginger pointed into the distance behind the Kennels. "The mines."

The man's face blanched as he quickly walked off, head hung. I narrowed my eyes. The mines. From what I'd observed the Death Eaters sent a lot of workers there, but only fit young men. The boy with the hazel eyes had been sent that way only a few hours previously, his expression impassive as always. I wondered what they were mining, down in the dark, damp underground. I shivered. Lucky they didn't send women under there.

The sun began to sink towards the horizon. I eagerly watched its decent as I pulled another damn nettle from the ground and threw it atop the stack I'd accumulated in the past three hours. Suddenly, a horn sounded. The same one that had awoken me that morning. It reeked within my eardrums with such an appalling sound it made most cringe. The slaves dropped their sticks and butterknives and dragged themselves away from the fields. I lagged behind, glancing about for any sign of the hazel eyed boy. When I failed to locate him, I joined the flow, following the line of people from the field with a Death Eater brining up the rear.

As we marched back towards the Kennels, each of the slaves came through a junction in which a Snatcher stood, his wand pointing lazily towards the crowd and producing a torrent of water. One by one, we walked through the spray. As the water hit me, I gasped at its chill. It lathered itself over my skin and although it washed the grime away, it pummelled against me, as if it was trying to stream through me. My lips were dry from thirst, and water seeped down my throat, quenching my dehydration. But the pressure of the water battered at me, and I could stand it no longer. I stumbled due to the force of the water, but managed to blindly find my way through.

I continued walking, shivering uncontrollably and wondering if it was possible for water to cause bruises. We passed the Pile, the stench making me feel nauseated. Again, I refused to look at it. The memories were bad enough. In a disturbing unison, the slaves' feet shifted strenuously through the dirt towards our Kennels. I bent as I came to Kennel 24 and practically threw myself through the hole, crawling over to my corner with lidded eyes.

I was so fatigued I barely noticed the boy sitting beside me, next to the gap in the wooden boards. He lowered his gaze as I stretched, relieving the coiled up tension in my muscles. I lolled my head from side to side; hearing my joints creaking and watching more people crouch their way into my lopsided view of the Kennel. I leaned my back into the wall, willing my body to shut down, but no matter how tired I was, I was too hungry to sleep. My eyes flickered to the boy who glanced at me with knowing eyes and shifted his position, so that he was directly in front of me.

With hands that moved with practiced habit, he shaped words in the air before him, indicating towards himself and then forming all kinds of signals with his fingers. I watched in confusion as he lowered his arms, his expression hopeful. Suddenly, my mind clicked and I felt my mouth forming a perfect circle.

He was a mute.

"I'm sorry," I whispered guiltily. "I don't understand sign language."

The boy's face fell slightly, before recovering when he sensed my guilt. He shifted back to my side and traced his finger through the dirt next to my leg, his face set. I watched, cursing myself for being so stupid. Looking back, it must have been obvious. Not once had I heard him talk, or seen him open his mouth at all. Silent and watchful, he was simply _there._ Such a strong presence that he didn't need words for me to understand him. He withdrew his hand form the dirt and my eyes slid over the phrase written there.

_My name is Jonah._

As soon as I'd read his words, he scraped his hand over them, hiding them from existence. I looked into his hazel stare. He'd given me his name. In a hell like this, that was an extraordinary act. I felt the attachment towards him strengthen and wet my lips nervously. Should I tell him my name? Surely there was no one more likely to keep it a secret than a mute? I fidgeted. Jonah unearthed such a natural sense of familiarity within me that it made me both comfortable and terrified. I surveyed his face, searching every aspect of it for anything lurking beneath the surface. But no, Jonah appeared completely honest in my eyes. I sighed. If I couldn't trust my judgement, than I couldn't trust anything. I indicated for him to come closer and he leaned in. I whispered in his ear, my voice so quiet and stern I hardly recognised it. _"My name is Ryuu."_

Jonah didn't move for an instant longer before he jerkily retreated and nodded. I breathed a sigh of relief. He too, understood the importance and I knew he wouldn't tell a soul. A small creaking sound stabbed at the murmured conversation that filled the Kennel. Heads pricked up, looking towards the door. The creak sounded again, almost like a beckoning call. Suddenly, the whole Kennel sprang into action and began to hurry towards the door. I cast a glance at Jonah, whose face was stern. "What is it?" I asked.

Of course, he didn't answer and I mentally shook myself. I was going to have to get used to this. Jonah too, hurried towards the door. I balled my hands into fists, expecting danger, and followed cautiously.

Out on the path, people flocked towards the centre in masses of fumbling bodies. Children scrambled up over the shoulders of adults. No one pushed or shoved at each other, but more accurately reached ahead of themselves, their hands grasping towards the middle of the crowd. I narrowed my eyes to distinguish what was happening in the dimming light. A carriage, similar to the one that the Snatchers used to capture muggleborns, except it had no roof. Inside was a thin layer of scraps. Left over pieces of bread, rotten vegetables, and fruit with holes in it. Every so often, buried beneath a mouldy carrot of a stray sandwich, was a piece of meat. I watched in horror as people frantically scrabbled for even a glimpse at this pile of rubbish, and if they got their hands on something, bit into it with relish.

And still the enchanted carriage trundled along, its old wheels creaking in protest. When it reached the end of the path it turned to ramble down another lane of Kennels. The people slowly wandered back, most with pouted lips, but some with pleased expressions at the 'food' they'd scavenged.

I turned on my heel and walked back inside the empty Kennel, my head aching from an unknown pain. My mind reeled. I could feel it snapping. _This place… I can't stand it._

The slaves came back in and dispersed into their own private positions. Several people shared food around to their neighbours, who accepted the scraps with warm smiles. Jonah entered and walked over to our corner, chewing on a small, bruised apple. He sat and handed me a slice of thick, stale bread that had a quarter of an old carrot on top.

I shook my head.

He pushed it further towards me.

"No." I said. "I'm not hungry."

Jonah regarded me with a look of sarcasm.

I shook my head again, folding my arms over myself in an attempt to keep warm. But Jonah was persistent. He broke off a piece of the bread and placed it in my hand. I looked at the bread and grimaced. "I can't. It'll make me sick."

Jonah hurriedly scrawled three words in the dirt.

_Keep you alive._

He looked at me with pleading eyes as I opened my mouth to protest. I sighed, and before my mother's warnings about food poisoning arose to the surface of my thoughts, stuffed the bread in my mouth. Jonah smiled as I chewed on the course bread and took a bite from his apple.

The meal wasn't much, but was enough to fill me up. Jonah insisted that I eat the carrot, even though I wanted him to have it. Whenever I tried to give him the food, he shook his head and repeated the same actions with his hands. Pointing to himself, and motioning upwards with his hand, and then pointing to me and dropping his hand down a few feet. The message was clear. _I am strong and tall. You are weak and small._

"I am _not_ fragile!" I snapped out of instinct, but Jonah just shrugged.

My mouth twisted grimly as I nibbled at the carrot, surveying Jonah with interest. He looked around the room, and although he may have appeared to be simply observing to anyone else, I could tell that he was listening intently to the conversations around him and taking in everything he saw with a readied mind. Most would assume Jonah to be disadvantaged, especially in the wizarding world where magic was controlled using words, but I knew that he was capable and disciplined, and had probably been learning non verbal spells his entire life – which meant he had some smarts. Jonah was trustworthy, strong, patient and most importantly, didn't arouse suspicion.

I had chosen a good ally.

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Draco

The guard didn't like me.

I could tell from the moment Dumbledore had assigned him to stand outside my cell that he hated me. I'd never met him before. But I doubted that my personality was a factor. More likely it was the Dark Mark burned into my arm that he loathed.

He'd watched over me for a week now. His shifts helped me keep track of the time. During what I assumed to be morning, he entered the Dungeon and began his work, which involved standing just within sight and occasionally cursing me for sudden movements. After a long time he left, and didn't return until I had woken up from a long night of barely sleeping.

He was very jumpy. Whenever my chains so much as clinked, he would cast me a look of poison before casting a spell that dipped my body in pain. Most of the time I lay on the floor of my cell, looking up at the ceiling and counting the cracks like I did every day.

Useless.

Meaningless.

Counting.

To give me a drive. A rhythm in which my life worked from. Always the counting, shifting in the back of my head. From one to ten. For some reason, I felt as if it was the only thing reminding me that I still had a functioning brain. I envisioned clicking the dials on the Rubik's Cube with each number. Back and forth. Again and again. Over and over. Constantly changing, yet never solving it.

Maybe I didn't want to.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was stepping._

_Each stair made a different sounding creak. It was one of the strangest aspects of her Aunt's house. The girl listened to the mumbling conversation below. The adults could talk for long periods of time, allowing the girl to wander off on her own. She looked back down at the stair she was currently standing on. It was quite an old stairwell, and the wood groaned and complained with each footstep. The girl and her cousins had quickly taken a disliking to it, because it made it so much more difficult to go snooping. _

_But the girl had no cousins surrounding her now. Maybe it would be easier to sneak without so many footsteps. The girl took a deep breath, held it and lifted her foot. She curled her toes and placed it on the next stair as if were made from delicate china. _

_Silence. No creak._

_But the girl didn't let herself get too over-confident. _

_She released the breath and held the next one again. Gracefully, she lifted her other foot and brought it up next to her upper one, careful not to place it too firmly on the wooden step._

_Not a creak. Not a single groan from the timber. Her plan was working. The girl grinned._

_Just as she was about to brave the next stair, the wood beneath her spluttered and concaved. The girl cried out, her arms instinctively flinging themselves over the railing and latching on tight. She hung there, breathing shallowly, her emerald eyes wide, before the adults burst into the room to see what all the commotion was about. When they caught sight of the girl handing from the star rail, legs dangling above a splintered hole fading into darkness beneath her, the girl's father sighed._

"_Of course." He droned. _

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A/N: Random, but I'd just like to take this time to mention that pretty much every single character in the Kennels is an OC. Jonah is my own creation; and he is a badass.


	39. Chapter 17 - The Day

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Greetings! I've had some feedback about how horrible the Kennels are – seeing as that was my intention, thanks guys! Just a heads up; about two months have passed between the last chapter and this one (with Ryuu in the Kennels and Draco in the Dungeons). I know, it's brutal… but don't worry you'll be meeting some cool OCs soon…

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 17 – The Day

Ryuu

In the Kennels, time was draining.

As each second passed, it felt like days of my life had been wasted. Not only was I physically insubstantial for labour because of my short stature and thin limbs; my mindset was constantly screaming at me to lather the Death Eaters in all of my hatred for them. Every time one of them gave an order, or pushed over a slave, or beat someone for not working hard enough; I felt myself seething inside.

But I could do nothing.

I still hadn't said a word in the presence of a Death Eater or a Snatcher. Many a time I had been tempted to snap a bitter retort, but with all of my control had managed to hold my tongue. Jonah gave me strength with that.

However, keeping quiet didn't mean I went entirely unnoticed.

Even looking a guard in the eyes was considered a felony if they were in a bad enough mood. By the end of the week, I'd usually received up to ten outbursts from an angry Death Eater. Most of them involved my standing quietly and looking at my feet while he or she bombarded me with an overflow of loud insults. Others, involved a beating. Each time this happened, Jonah threw me an irritated glance that said: _You shouldn't have done that._

I always replied with a glare. _You think I don't know that Jonah?_

Although my first two months of slavery largely incorporated a gruelling routine of keeping under the radar, I was always on my guard, my mind ticking over alternatives and plans. I couldn't stay here. That I knew. This one thought made me peer closely at every detail and take note of any weakness in the Kennel.

There weren't many.

To my absolute hatred, the Manager had a well-functioning-hell-ridden-dominion below his heels. Everything was within the impenetrable fortress of the shields – even the pits used for human waste. It was impossible to leave the barriers and somehow plan an escape out there. Always, I struggled to come up with a plan. The strategies were easy enough, but the practical was in a different universe altogether. There was simply too many restraints. Too many obstacles. Too many Death Eaters.

But the most important thing was to keep myself alive. Although my body and my emotions were begging me to rest, my will refused to listen to them. How could I? I'd come this far. If I was going to allow myself anything, it was freedom from this place. _I can't die here. I won't. _It wasn't just physical survival too, but mental. There were so many everyday instances that threatened to push me over the edge and I found myself repeating the same two words in my head like a mantra: _Calm, control. _Mostly, this worked. But sometimes it seemed as if my sanity had developed a small dotted line that said 'tear here.'

Surprisingly, I was actually able to sleep at night. An exhausted stress-induced deep slumber with no night terrors. Just rest to give me energy. It seemed quick though. Like one moment I was shutting my eyes and the next second, the sun was screeching over the horizon again and I had to open my eyes for a new day of gruelling repetition.

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"Hey."

Jonah looked over the top of his green tomato, his eyes locking with mine. I sidled over next to him so I could speak in a lower whisper. I lowered my broccoli stalk, reducing the alluring smell of food so I could think better. "I have a plan."

Jonah's eyes were dressed in curiosity and disbelief as I swung my head around to see what everyone else was doing. Like usual, they were all in their separate huddles, the fire alighting one side of the room and shrouding Jonah and myself in wonderful darkness. I sensed his anticipation. A few weeks earlier I had bluntly declared to him that I was going to find a way to escape. At first, he'd nodded solemnly, his expression fixed into a courteous acceptance of false hope. But as the weeks had passed, he'd picked up on the seriousness of my statement. Partly because I'd been quieter than usual at night time. Also because he could see the determination that had set my shoulders and the relentless anger that bagged – well, more like suitcased - my eyes. My extra-curricular thinking had fatigued me into an emotional wreck with a twisted mind and a keen eye for detail. Luckily, Jonah understood why.

I wet my lips. "We're clearly outnumbered. Not only by Death Eaters and Snatchers, but by weapons too. Before we even consider breaking _out,_ we'd need to break _in_."

Jonah frowned.

"The Storage Room," I murmured. "Our first goal. It has all the wands." I paused, feeling myself hunger, and not just for the unfulfilling food held loosely in my hands. "_Our_ wands."

Jonah's hands twitched, and I knew he was thinking the same as I was. The fantasy of having a weapon at hand was enough to make me grin. However, I didn't. I hadn't felt my lips stretch in a smile for a long time.

I sighed. "From there, we leave in the only way we can."

_How? _Jonah glanced at me.

"In silence, and in stealth," I replied. "There's no point trying to tear this place down, no matter how much I want to." I grimaced. "We'd never manage it. The best we can do is get ourselves out. You know how to Apparate, so as soon as we break the shield there's nothing stopping us."

Jonah tensed, brought his finger to the ground, and fluidly scrawled words into the dirt. _What about the others?_

I stared at the words until my eyes stang before I lifted my head to look him straight into his hazel glare. "No," I muttered coldly.

He shook his head at me and turned away, disgusted.

I closed my eyes in frustration. "I'm only one person. I simply can't save all of these people, and neither can you!" I hissed. "Heck, I'll be bewildered if we even manage to pass stage one, never mind haul a cumbersome herd of underfed people through the camp without a disturbance!"

He didn't move. I groaned.

"I'm sorry, but I have to think realistically. This isn't like in stories, where the hero makes it out alive with a few casualties and a dramatic – yet sentimental – image of the prisoners wandering off into the sunset, hands linked. This is _real_ life!" I paused, breathing heavily and hating my words of practicality. "And it's the only chance we've got."

He turned his head slightly, so he could see me in his peripheral vision. I mentally pleaded with him. Jonah was the only thing keeping me sane, and if he shunned me, then I knew I was dammed.

"Are you with me, Jonah?" I whispered.

There was an intense silence before he inclined his chin in a nod. I was just about to sigh in relief, but jumped instead as I heard a voice from behind me.

"I'm with you."

I flicked my head around. Standing over me was a woman in her thirties whom I'd only noticed from the corner of my eye. Now that I saw her up close, I was dumbstruck. She was so… _striking._ There was no other word to describe her. She wasn't pretty, but beautiful was an understatement. I gawked as I took in her strongly boned face covered in _almost_ flawless dark skin. It was _almost_ flawless, because of the ugly scar stitched onto her left cheek. It depicted three lines bent over each other in a way that seemed as if it should be familiar, but I couldn't pick why.

I felt her stare harden, and met her liquid mahogany eyes that stood out in a frame of thick eyelashes; too unnaturally perfect to be human. She was a tall, and broad shouldered, with thick, dark hair that matched her eyes and fell straight down to her hips. Random strands of her hair winked in a metallic coppery colour that highlighted her perfectly. I sensed that I'd been staring for an absurd amount of time, and quickly opened and closed my mouth several times to relieve the shock and spoke. "What are you talking about?"

She hunched down next to us, her voice compellingly sincere with its deep bluntness and slight twinge of a cockney accent. "Your plan to escape. It's logical. It's possible. I'm in."

I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't refuse her, because if I did she might tell the others about my thoughts on their abandonment. With that would come anger. And then attention from the Death Eaters, which would mean I'd never escape.

The stranger regarded me with an austere glare. "I know how to keep a secret," she said levelly, seating herself into a cross-legged position. "I've been listening to what you've said and I like how you think. I've been trying to come up with ideas myself; no luck. But what you're saying appeals to me. It's simple. It's subtle. And with a lot of organisation, it could work." She paused, looking into me with those endless eyes. "I can be of use to you. You've already got Jonah as your muscle, but I can assist you in other ways."

_Damn._ She knew Jonah's name. I cast Jonah a look of guilt. It had been my fault for saying it earlier while the woman had been listening from the shadows. I apologised to him with a blink, and he accepted it as easily as I knew he would. My eyes flickered back to the new arrival. I studied her face. Genuine. Like Jonah, I felt I could assume a mutual trust with this woman. She was certainly on the same thought pattern as I was. Plus, there was something about her that made me think she'd be a valuable asset. It was as if she was clouded with an immense mist of self assurance and strength. Along with something else. A secret. I could detect it beneath her demeanour. And I wanted to find out what it was.

"And you are?" I asked promptly.

"You can call me Copper," she answered. "You?"

"Felicity." I replied instantaneously.

Copper fixed me in her gaze and a mutual understanding passed between us. It was clear that we'd given each other fake names, and it was going to stay that way - at least, for now. I nibbled on my broccoli stalk, examining the new group member as I did so. After I'd finished eating I spoke up. "Jonah, what day is it today?"

My heart sank as I read his tidy scrawl. _Saturday, August 19__th__._

I took a deep breath, rearranging my thoughts. "Good. That means that its only two days away from Monday."

"What's so important about Monday?" Copper inquired, face blank.

"That's the day that the Snatchers walk around with clipboards, making notes of all of the crop productions and marking the slaves by number." I droned.

Jonah raised an eyebrow, but Copper didn't flinch. "And?"

"_And,_" I began, "that's the day we get ourselves a map."

A few minutes later the fire was dimmed, and Kennel 24 was bathed in slumbering quiet. I relaxed into a ball, shutting my eyes and wishing for sleep when I noticed it. I could clearly hear the sound of Jonah's sleep beside me from his deep, rhythmic breathing, but Copper's inhales and exhales were the distorted and uneven ones of a person who was purposefully keeping themselves from rest.

When I abruptly awoke later that night, Copper was still awake.

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Draco

_One. Two._

The guard sneered at me through the bars, rambling a sequence of curses at me. I didn't listen. I was too tired.

_Three. Four._

His face flushed and he raised his wand to point between the bars. I looked up in surprise. "This is for my wife, you son of a bitch!" He snapped.

_Five. Six._

I took the pain silently. My throat was too hoarse to scream anyway. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the torture, but with no success.

_Seven._

Searing. Stabbing. Pain. I couldn't breathe, my lungs were constricting. Every fibre of my body was burning. My ears were rent with a ringing that vibrated through my body, reminding me that I was alive.

_Eight._

_It won't stop._ The guard was still yelling about his dead family, I knew he was even though all I could see was his mouth moving and his eyes stricken with misery. The ringing in my ears deafened me. I writhed in agony, my hands reaching uselessly for salvation.

_Nine._

I had to keep counting. I have to take my mind away. _I can't give up, not now. I can't… I… I have to keep counting._

_Ten._

The spell lost contact and I closed my eyes, gasping. My muscles shook as I rolled away from the bars and curled into a ball, my chains clinking and scratching against my skin. The ringing died away and I heard the guard pacing angrily along the floor. I could feel my heart thudding against my chest, reminding me of its existence.

I took a deep breath.

_One._

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Ryuu

_Today's the day._

Even in the Kennels, no one wanted to get up on Sunday morning. The masses moved in a lazed synchrony, feet through the dirt and feeling the warm salmon blush of the rising summer sun. I stood at the morning assembly, feeling empty as the continued thought whipped through my head every passing minute.

_The day. _

I laboured like the automaton I'd become, pushing my hands through the process and blanking my mind. Jonah could sense my tension, and I could see he wanted to inquire, but I didn't even bother trying to meet his gaze. Copper tried to whisper to me a few times as we picked nettles together, but I ignored her, and was even relieved when the Death Eaters repositioned her to mop the stage.

_Today is the day._

Suddenly I was staring down at a small piece of lamb that Jonah had managed to snatch from the wagon. I brought the meat up to my nose, and smelled that it was relatively fresh and well cooked, although it looked like it had been bitten into in some places.

"Felicity?"

I looked up at Copper, whose hair was still wet from our walk back to Kennel 24. She'd already eaten her small piece of meat, and her near perfect face appeared satisfied at the luck of the find. Now, her eyebrows were drawn as she stared at me, but I couldn't bear to attempt to explain.

"It's nothing," I reassured, and bit into the lamb.

_It's just the day._

That night, I stared through the little hole in the wall, my head resting against the hard wooden panel, thinking about my parents. The memories of the people I loved made me ache, which was why I usually locked them away in the back of my head. Caring was too much pain to be worth it. But today was… different.

I let the memories tumble through my consciousness. The click of Dad's camera. Mum's lavender perfume that she wore on special occasions. Delicious pasta served in a ceramic blue bowl that was the same shade as Dad's eyes. Dusk's soft fur beneath my fingers. A tiny silver bell being untwined from a blonde lock of hair. Dragging a granite art pencil across fresh parchment. Zach's sarcastic eye roll. Dennis folding me into a bone crushing hug. A sideways nod. Staring up into eyes silver as the stars I could see now.

Maybe that was the best birthday present I could have asked for.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was shaking._

_Her father held her close, patting her blond head and whispering words of comfort. He wished his wife were here. She was so much more capable with this sort of thing. The girl burrowed into his chest, her small hands clasped to the front of his shirt. Another clap of thunder sounded, echoing through the room and the girl whimpered, shivering uncontrollably. She'd never heard a storm this loud before. _

"_Shhh," the father whispered, hugging his daughter. "It's okay little one. It's just the weather. Your safe in here."_

"_B-but Daddy, I'm frightened!" the girl mumbled. She looked up at him with huge eyes, and as lightning flashed across her face she gasped and began to cry. "It's scary out there! When I looked out the window, it was like the world was being torn up by – by – a monster or something…"_

"_Well…" the father began awkwardly, "don't look out the window then."_

_This only made the girl cry more. The father shook his head at his own idiocy and removed the girl from where she'd latched around his neck. He placed her in front of him, holding her quivering hand and smoothing her hair from her tearful eyes._

"_When's Mummy coming home?" the girl demanded, jumping as a growl of thunder raked through the night. "She knows what to say."_

_The father checked his watch, feeling useless. "Soon," he said._

_The girl trembled, looking back towards the window, her green eyes seeing through the drapes and into the terror beyond. A fresh tear fell down her cheek and the father brushed it away with his thumb. The girl looked back to him, and he realised again just how small she was. _

"_It's just a storm, little one," he said softly. "And do you know what all storms do?" The girl shook her head. The father smiled as he hugged her close and whispered into her blond hair. _

"_They pass."_

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A/N: *Groans* how much would it suck to have your seventeenth birthday – you're coming of age birthday in the magical world – inside the Kennels, where you can't use a wand? Also: today, (20th of August) just so happens to be Ryuu's birthday! Wow. Didn't even plan it.

But anyways, now you've met Copper who I love immensely. Lame science joke time: What did Copper say to Ryuu at the end of the day? … 'C u later!'

*Crickets chirp* Well, I laughed.


	40. Chapter 18 - The Horse and the Map

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Here's the next chapter… quite a bit of action in this one.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 18 – The Horse and the Map

Ryuu

"Who the hell is that?" I asked, pointing to the man who entered. For someone who was crawling into Kennel 24 – a literal slave den – he appeared positively buoyant. Not only was his behaviour obscenely _wrong, _the man was quite possibly one of the most beautiful human beings I had ever seen. He was a different kind of striking to Copper. While her allure was undeniably present, the new guy's was more _irritating._ He was impossibly perfect, with those russet brown locks and light caramel coloured skin. He flashed a business man smile, his cinnamon eyes gleaming as he sauntered over to a group of people near the fire pit. I shook my head in disbelief as a group of young girls sprang up and ran to his outstretched arms. He welcomed them with kind words and a warm hug individually. As I looked around, the majority of the people stood and walked towards the newcomer, looking – I couldn't believe my eyes – _relieved._

Thankfully, Copper's expression didn't differentiate from her usual furrowed brow and set jaw. "That's Dr. Gladde."

I scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm Professor Smiles."

Copper didn't laugh. My half smile faded and I coughed awkwardly, eyeing Gladde with suspicion. "You said _Doctor _Gladde. Don't you mean Healer?"

Copper rolled her eyes. "I know. I asked him about it once. He rambled on with this huge sob story about how his father was a muggle doctor; and that even though Gladde himself was a wizard, he vowed to keep honour to his father's title." Copper sighed. "Must've pissed off the other mediwizards he worked with at St. Mungo's."

I watched as Gladde – I refused to call him a Doctor – stood proud and tall, smiling pleasantly at the rest of the Kennel. I suddenly had a sickening flashback of Gilderoy Lockhart, my Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in second year. He'd adopted a flock of girls around him now, who he patted tenderly on the head as he broke apart from them to speak to a small child. "Well, it's obvious to see why he gets so much attention." I commented.

"What do you mean?" Copper said.

I motioned towards him. "Look at him. He's…" I searched for the word and settled on the most classic, "…handsome."

Copper shrugged, tugging her long hair over her shoulder. "He's not really my… I don't swing that way," she finished.

I mentally face-palmed. "Right." I nodded., changing the subject."You said you'd met him before," I stated.

Copper nodded. "For a while he lived here in Kennel 24. Then he was relocated."

I frowned. "Relocated?"

Her liquid liquorice eyes locked onto mine. "The Death Eaters though it was a good idea to move a Healer around to each of the Kennels."

I nodded, feeling Jonah stir into consciousness beside me. _Of course_. Injured slaves were no good for labour. As much as the Death Eaters loathed us, it was necessary to keep us alive… just. "Oh those Death Eaters," I whispered sarcastically. "Always looking out for our well-being." Copper's stare didn't so much as flicker. I narrowed my eyes, wondering. Just as I'd finished talking, I realised that Gladde was veering towards our trio. I naturally blanked my face, looking over to Jonah, who was now groggily blinking at the faint light seeping through the cracks in the walls. Dawn was breaking.

Gladde bent in front of us, flashing his award winning smile. I suddenly felt like he was trying to sell me something. _Get your suspicious daddy-issues Doctor while he's still in stock. Explanations sold separately. _I shook my head, feeling crazier than I had a few seconds prior and suddenly wishing that this man would go away. He was too normal. For someone who was transferred through this hell-hole like the child of a divorced couple, he was far too unscathed; and in more ways than one.

He held out a hand towards me. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Doctor Gladde." His voice was as smooth as honey, and possibly sweeter.

I didn't reply, but simply stared into his smiling eyes. However, before I could decipher any of his motives he turned to Copper and fluidly grasped her chin. I felt her stiffen as he gently tilted her face towards the light. Gladde brushed a finger over the ugly scar that disfigured her cheek. "Well, that's healed up nicely hasn't it?" he noted. "Does it still hurt?"

Copper lifted her hand to his wrist and pushed his hold away, slowly but firmly. Gladde looked as if he was about to say something, but suppressed it. He smiled sadly. "Excuse me," he whispered. He nodded towards me, completely ignoring Jonah as he stood and walked away to another group of people. An eerie silence dropped between us. Jonah shifted awkwardly before standing and pretending to stretch out his arms. I surveyed Copper with interest, realising that I'd never seen her look so vulnerable.

Suddenly the horn sounded and Copper jerked, startled. The rest of the Kennel began to move towards the door, but I lagged behind, waiting for Copper to stand. When she did I wet my lips and posed the question that had been bugging me for some time. "I meant to ask," I began carefully, "How did you get that scar?"

Copper paused. Her back was jammed in a rigid position. I couldn't see her face behind a mass of hair that was covering her features. "It's a symbol. The rune for 'dirt.' One of the Death Eaters gave it to me when I tried to defend myself against him."

I opened my mouth to say something, but realised that my throat was dry and words seemed a fair distance away from my lips. Copper turned her head slightly, just enough so I could see her fixing me with a piercing gaze. "You're a pretty girl Felicity. Stay under the radar." Then she left.

I followed solemnly, finally understanding why Copper never laughed.

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Draco

I had a visitor.

I was drinking from the small pitcher of water, letting the liquid soak my dry lips as Snape entered. He cast me a long, furtive glance as he strode towards the guard. For a split second his eyes narrowed, and I felt a stirring in my mind. I recognised Snape's presence. Obviously Snape could use Legilimency without a wand as well. I began to panic, _what is he doing in my head? I thought Dumbledore had put a stop to this._

Snape only said one word. _Catch. _Then he spun on his heel to face the guard, keeping his back to my cell.

"What do _you_ want?" The guard snapped. He was in one of his less appealing moods. "There's not supposed to be anyone in here."

Snape's silken voice cut through the darkness. "Dumbledore wanted to make sure that the prisoner is not being mistreated."

The guard's face blanched. "Mistreated? 'Course not. He's just fine." He gestured unevenly towards me and then began to guide Snape to the door. "Nothin' to see here really, just –"

Snape pulled himself from the guard's grip and strode towards the bars of my cell. His eyes stared down in scrutiny, pausing on my chafed wrists. I tried to access a calm state of mind so I could attempt to speak with him through Legilimency, but before I could even begin, Snape turned away, his back facing me once more.

"Dumbledore will be informed of the boy's condition," as Snape spoke, his wrist twisted into his sleeve and pulled out a small square parcel. I suppressed a gasp, and readied my hands. "However, he is aware that some forms of _painful treatment_ do not leave noticeable marks." Suddenly, Snape's hand twitched and the parcel flew through the bars. With the reactions of a Seeker, I caught it in my left hand, my chains clinking slightly.

"Of course, of course." The guard said anxiously. I stuffed the parcel in my pocket as Snape strode from the dungeon. When the door closed with an ominous thud, the guard's hands balled into fists. He stared at me in rage for a few seconds before leaning against the wall without a word.

I ate the rest of my pitiful meal in silence, feeling _something_ for the first time in ages.

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Ryuu

I stood in between Jonah and Copper at the assembly, as we had planned earlier. I was breathing deeply to control my nerves, my mind blocking out the crap that the Manager was saying, helping myself focused solely on the task. I tapped my fingers anxiously against my thigh, forcing my face to remain controlled so the Death Eaters wouldn't notice me. If things went well today, I knew I could do the rest. I cast a glance towards Jonah, feeling guilty. He'd agreed to what he was assigned to do, but I still felt uncomfortable about his situation. _Don't think about it Ryuu. He'll be fine. Breathe. _

The crowd began to merge outwards in an overflow of slaves. Copper grasped my wrist lightly, dragging me slightly towards the edge of the surge. I kept one eye on Jonah, who watched us move away solemnly. Copper and I neared a Snatcher who was barricading the crowd away from the main road and towards the agricultural fields. I held my breath as we slowed down a few feet away from him and sidled near the edge of the crowd. The Snatcher didn't notice us. Not yet.

I looked at the empty space beyond the Snatcher's position. Approximately ten feet away and to the right was a row of Solitary Confinement Blocks, where the Death Eaters kept muggleborns who needed to be broken – or at least, that's what Copper had told me. I presumed they were for select slaves, and used to remedy the Manager's sadistically twisted amusement. It didn't matter what they were used for; now they were going to be our hiding place.

I flicked my head back and scanned the mass of people for Jonah. It wasn't hard. He was so big that he stood at least a head taller than most people. I gave him a nod. His face hardened as he returned the signal. He strode over to the nearest Death Eater, and quicker than I could've anticipated, punched him square in the nose.

The Snatcher in front of us jerked into life, cursing in shock as he sprinted towards the action. I heard a sickening crunch behind me, that could've been the Snatcher's nose, or Jonah's. I hoped it was the former. Copper and I didn't hesitate or look back. Her grip tightening, Copper sprinted through the dirt towards the Block, dragging me behind her.

My heart raced. Gravel crunched beneath my feet and imbedded itself into my skin. I didn't care. I was breathing shallowly, running as fast as I dared, my eyes locked onto the block. It was both terrifying and exhilarating in the open. An instinctual rush coursed through me, as I knew that if someone were to turn their head at any second, they would see us, clear as day.

In some miraculously lucky and extremely unlikely coincidence, no one did.

I hunkered down on the ground, my back against the brick wall of the block, a fist in my mouth to stop myself from panting. Copper was huddled next to me, brushing hair out of her wide eyes. For a minute or so, we remained still, waiting for a shout or the sound of running footsteps. But there was nothing. No one had noticed us.

I lowered my fist from my mouth and dared a peek around the corner of the block. The last few slaves were making their way into the farms. Death Eaters and Snatchers patrolled the outskirts of the fields, making notes on their clipboards. I drew my head back and glanced up at the sun, measuring its distance from the treetops with my thumb.

"Judging by my knowledge of telling time from the sun, which is surprisingly adequate; it should be about one hour between now and the time the Death Eaters actually pick up their act and get themselves organised." I hissed in a voice lower than a whisper. "Everyone knows that they all get drunk on Sunday nights. You could start a fire by using the alcohol in their breath on Monday mornings."

Copper was glancing around the block and I could tell that she was judging the distance to the Tool Shed with her eyes. "Don't worry," I muttered. "There won't be many of them around here yet." I tip toed over to the edge of the block, next to where she was hunched. I cast my gaze around the earth beaten path, before nudging Copper in the ribs. "Let's go."

Getting to the Tool Shed was tiring. We were constantly bent over, slinking through narrow walkways and sliding under overhanging awnings when we heard an uncommon sound. We moved like alley cats through a city, navigating around our prison of timber and dirt. By the time we got there, my back was aching and my calves were screaming at me to sit down. I leaned against the side of the Tool Shed while Copper looked around the corner to the front. She didn't appear perturbed at all. She glanced at me as I hunched to massage my foot. It was bloody from all the gravel I'd stepped on.

"Are you hurt?" she asked quietly.

I gave her a look of scorn. "Aren't you?" I looked down at her feet, which were in the same condition as mine, however Copper didn't seem to notice. "Have you got feet of iron or something?"

She didn't reply, and instead hoisted me upwards, much to my displeasure. I stifled a grunt of pain as Copper pulled me towards the door, lifting the rusty steel latch and dragging me into the darkness. The door creaked closed behind us.

I instantly felt the weight of compression tighten around me as I stumbled into the Shed. It was quite crowded in here. Farming tools – or the flimsy pieces of crap that passed for tools in this place – were stacked and piled haphazardly across the right side of the room. On the left, and veering away to the back were towers of boxes and crates. The labels on some of them were vague, but some could be made out in the dim light. Copper stepped over to a particularly large and undamaged crate and pointed to the words painted on its front: _Firewhisky. _"Typical," she scowled.

I didn't respond. I was too busy trying to swallow my terror. _The walls are closing, the walls are closing in… _No. They're not, Ryuu. That's impossible. You're just going crazy. _I can't stay here. _Yes you can. You must. _I can't breathe! I can't – no! _I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tugged at the bottom of my toga, shaking my head. _I can breathe. I'm fine. I'm fine. _I opened my eyes again to see Copper staring at me with concern. "You okay, Felicity?"

"I'm fine." I reassured myself, taking a step further into the Shed. I clicked my mind back into analytical mode, but I could still feel the fear pounding at my heart and tugging at my breath. "We… need to find a place to hide," my voice wavered when I spoke.

Copper nodded, sensing that there was something wrong with me but keeping her mind on the task. "Yeah… okay." She walked around the Shed, shifting boxes and crates to make a large space in the middle of the room. My hands shook violently, so I balled them into fists and forced myself to move – _to do something._ I walked, quicker than I'd planned, towards the tool on the right and picked up one of the long blunt sticks used for harrowing. I tested the weight in my hands, attempting to prepare my brain for fighting.

"You won't be needing that." Copper said evenly. I glanced her way. She was building a wall of boxes in which we could hide behind. She pushed the last box into place and walked over to me, reaching for the stick in my hands.

"How else are we going to knock them out?" I asked, my voice wobbling. _Breathe._

"_I_," she took the stick and placed it back with the other tools, "don't need a weapon." I raised an eyebrow, but she stared back at me with complete self-assurance. "And you should sit this one out, I think."

My pride flared up. "I'm not a weakling!" I snapped.

"I didn't say you were," she replied, her slight cockney accent lilting behind her words. "I just thought it might be difficult for you to attack someone when you suffer from claustrophobia."

As soon as she said the word, shivers ran down my spine and I could practically feel something pressing against my lungs. _Stop it, stop it! Breathe. Deep breaths._ "H-how did you-?"

"I had an Uncle who was the same, I recognise the signs. You're doing well though, he'd be out the door by now…"

Copper's praise struck hard and the fear momentarily dimmed. I stretched my hands out and looked around the room, making my eyes prove that the walls were perfectly stationary. I felt my heart beat slightly slower, and I uncurled my hands from fists. The edges of Copper's mouth tilted upwards in the ghost of a small smile. "You probably should've realised that the Shed was so small."

I laughed meekly. "I knew I could handle it."

It was a long time before anyone came near the Shed. As Copper and I waited behind our barricade of boxes, I began to worry, and not just about the tight space. I ran through my observations in my head:

On Mondays, the Death Eaters make notes on their clipboards about crop production, work ethic, possible improvements etc. Every time this occurs, the inadequacy of the farming tools is noticed. Then, one of the least popular people - usually a Snatcher because the Death Eaters saw themselves as superiors to them – was sent away to get more tools from the Tool Shed. Thus our plan was to attack the unlucky Snatcher from behind, steal parchment and a quill from his clipboard, and then hurry back to the fields without being noticed. Hopefully when the Snatcher awoke, it would be assumed that he passed out from his hangover. If he said otherwise, no one else would really care seeing as he was so unpopular anyway.

However, my calculated time had passed. _They should've been here by now._ _Maybe they're running late. Or maybe they're not coming at all. Dammit! What if this was all for nothing? _I was just considering whether or not Copper and I should leave when she poked my arm. I snapped out of my thoughts and back into reality.

"What's that?" Copper asked, her finger tracing the faint scarring on the inside of my left arm. She narrowed her eyes, trying to read the words in the dim light. "Does that say… traitor?"

I sighed, turning my arm over. "It's a long story."

Copper looked at me blankly. "So, you can ask about mine but I can't ask about yours?"

A stab of guilt. She had a point there. I rolled my arm so I could see the scars for myself. I rarely looked at them. I hated them. An ugly reminder of the things that were too painful to remember. "It pretty much speaks for itself. It's a _long_ story. Not a complicated one."

Copper didn't flinch. "Who gave you those scars?"

I scowled. "Does it matter?"

"Of course." She said matter-of-factly. "People only give you a scar as a sign of dominance. A permanent disfigurement to make you feel angry, scared, but most importantly – _suppressed."_ She flicked a coppery strand of hair behind her ear. "The only way for that scar to truly fade, is if you make it very clear to that person that they _failed."_ Her eyes were as hard as her voice by the time she'd finished.

I narrowed my eyes at her. The scar on her cheek had never looked so prominent. Although, this was not a bad thing. It was now clear to me how Copper always stayed so steady and sure. This was a woman who had the symbol for dirt carved into her face and hadn't broken apart. No. Instead she'd transformed into a seething epitome of raging emotion that would keep her alive for a long while yet. Revenge.

"Who are you?" I asked bluntly, my mind so focused I didn't notice the small room at all.

As ever, Copper remained utterly blank-faced. "Someone's coming."

I froze, listening intently. She was right. I could hear footsteps through the wall next to me. I glanced towards the tools on the other side of the room and made to spring towards them when –

"_No." _Copper hissed, pushing me back. "I told you, I can do this."

"Well, what are you going to do, karate chop him?" I whispered.

She shook her head, staring at the door as the footsteps veered towards it. Before I could react, she'd shoved me back and was walking into the middle of the room, in plain sight. I cursed under my breath, and was just scurrying further behind a crate to hide from the Snatcher when it happened.

In one fluid movement Copper leaned forward and turned into a horse.

Her limbs elongated, and her body rippled and expanded. Almost instantaneously, her skin turned into a glossy mahogany brown coat and her hair fell along her neck as a mane. Eyes like liquid ink blinked beautifully above an odd white print – the same shape as Copper's scar – that was stretched along her muzzle. Her bronze coloured tail swished magnificently as she tossed her head and whinnied softly. I blinked stupidly, my mouth agape, lost for words. _A horse. She just turned into… a horse?! _

It was then that the door opened.

The Snatcher walked into the Shed, scribbling on his clipboard. He pouted his lip at something he'd written, sighed and looked up. I imagined that the expression plastered on my face was probably similar to the one on his. His blue eyes bulged to the size of ping pong balls and his clipboard clattered as it hit the ground. Horse-Copper shifted forward, deftly for a creature so big, and made a deep grunting sound in her throat. The Snatcher lunged backwards in fright, banged his head against the door and fell to the ground unconscious.

There was a second of total silence; in which I stared, barely believing my eyes. Horse-Copper tilted her enormously long head to the side admiring her work, and the Snatcher slept on unmoving. Then with a _click clack_ of her hooves, Horse-Copper took a step back and transformed back into her womanly form.

Legs shaking, I stood and moved quietly from behind the boxes, still staring at Copper. She turned to me, looking at me like spontaneously turning into a barnyard animal was as normal as pasta on Sundays. I cleared my throat, pointing a finger at her and shaking my head. "So… you're an Animagus."

Copper nodded.

I smiled. _"That is so cool!"_

She shrugged, walking over to the knocked out Snatcher, and unpinned a slip of parchment from the clipboard. I hurried towards her, grabbed the quill and stuffed it into my toga. Copper carefully folded the parchment and passed it to me. I shook my head. "You take it. If one of us gets caught, at least the other will have something."

"Good thinking," she said, slipping the parchment under her clothes.

I watched her, repressing my awe. She was an Animagus! _Brilliant!_ _She must be a very talented witch._ I remembered McGonagall telling us in third year that there was an immense amount of training involved in becoming one. I myself had planned on trying, but was concerned about what animal I might be. McGonagall had told us that the matter was not a choice – which was disappointing, seeing as I would've gone for a dragon or a phoenix or something – but a representation of the Animagi's core personality; which probably would have made me some form of grotesque goblin.

"Wait," I told Copper as she made to open the door. "If you're an Animagus, why haven't you tried to escape as a horse?"

She looked at me as if I was the most simple person alive. "How would I have possibly made it past the farms?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but then let the image pass through my mind. If the Death Eaters saw a horse walking through the Camp, surely they wouldn't just let it plod out the gate. And even if she did make it to the Shield, how could she get past without a wand?

"Yeah, I can see your dilemma…" I admitted, then smirked. "That escape plan would've involved a lot of _horsing around."_ Copper threw me a glance, her face showing no trace of amusement. I swallowed my laughter, feeling awkward. I'd never known someone so devoid of humour.

She turned and reached for the door handle, but I stopped her again. "Hold on," I pointed towards the Snatcher, "when he wakes up, aren't the other Death Eaters going to find it odd that he saw a horse in the Tool Shed?"

Copper shook her head. "It's like you said before. They'll blame his unconsciousness on his hung-over state. If he tells them he saw a horse, they'll figure it to be a hallucination." She looked down at the still body of the Snatcher, and frowned. I followed her gaze.

His wand.

It was loosely resting in his hand, temptingly taunting us with its accessibility. A wand, _oh to have a wand in my hand again!_ A real wand that I could use to escape. I sighed shaking my head. "No. We can't take it. It'll arouse too much suspicion."

Copper reluctantly nodded. I reached over and opened the door, leading us away from the Tool Shed and the body of the Snatcher. It took us less time to duck and weave our way _back _to the farms. I still kept a cautious eye out for any Death Eaters. If they were to discover us now, the entire mission would've been a failure. I bent low and trod lightly, feeling Copper at my tail the entire time.

We circled around all of the Kennels, keeping to the shadows and coming towards the farms through the cover of shrubs. A few times we paused as A Death Eater stalked past, holding our breath and closing our eyes; but luck seemed to favour us. We waited until a Snatcher with sandy hair walked past our shrub before army rolling across the two foot wide path and into a planting square. As I straightened myself into a squat and began patting at some earth, I breathed deeply, waiting for my heart rate to recede. Just like the mad dash towards the block, that small action could've been the end of me if the wrong person had seen it. I breathed deeply, pushing the dirt around. I could feel Copper relaxing beside me. _We made it. _

"Oi, you!"

_Tha-dump._

I froze, terror digging into me. _No._

_Tha-dump tha-dump._

"Stand up!"

I didn't need to turn around to know who the voice was directed at. I was suddenly very aware of how bulky the quill was inside my toga.

_Tha-dump tha-dump tha-dump._

Moving slower than a glacier, I shifted onto my knees and raised myself off the ground. I saw Copper do the same from the corner of my eye. _Oh God. This is it. _I turned, holding my breath. A Death Eater with cold brown eyes and a greying beard stood before us. His eyes flickered over our trembling forms, before focusing solely on me.

_Tha-dump tha-dump tha-dump tha-dump. _

He stared at me for what seemed like hours before he vaguely pointed over my head. "Go clean the Stage."

_Tha-dump tha-dump tha-dump. _

I nodded vigorously and walked away, keeping a normal pace as I moved out of the farms and towards the Stage.

_Tha-dump… tha-dump._

I released the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding in, my mind flitting over all of the nerves in my body. I was alive. I shook the insanity from my head and hurried towards the Stage.

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My head throbbed painfully from where I'd been struck. Turns out that there was a certain level of expectation for the girls who scrubbed the Stage floor. Obviously a vast area had to be cleaned, and vigorously, even though you were only using a toothbrush.

The sun was well and truly set, and my stomach groaned longingly. It had been an eventful day. The quill was still deposited neatly in my tunic, the feather had tickled my skin as I's scrubbed. It had been incredibly irritating, but worth the feeling of triumph. One step closer.

A chill wind brushed a lock of hair away from my shoulder and over my cheek. I shivered. I was only now aware of just how alone I was. None of the Death Eaters bothered to walk the dozen or so girls back to their individual Kennels, and had retired to their quarters. I'd considered an escape attempt, but knew that I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the Storage Room this early in the night. Besides, I needed to get my map completed first, so I could have a better understanding of where the guards are posted.

The stench of the Pile reached my nostrils, and I bit my lip as I walked past. For months I'd been here, and I still didn't believe that I'd ever get used to that sickening heap.

I heard a noise behind me.

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As soon as I entered Kennel 24, Gladde buzzed over to me like a bee to pollen. "Oh my! You're bleeding," he tilted my head back and dabbed at the trickle of blood with his thumb. "What happened?"

I tried to push him away. The last thing I wanted to deal with at the moment was this weirdo. "It's nothing – "

"It's certainly _something,"_ Gladde retorted, "otherwise you wouldn't say it was _nothing."_ His beautiful eyes smiled warmly at me. "Here, let me help you."

"You really don't have _to_–" but he was already pulling me towards the crackling fire.

"I _insist,"_ he insisted, bringing me to the ground. The fire warmed me, killing the cold that had clung to me from outside. Gladde knelt next to me, reaching into a white bag at his side. I stared at the bag in amazement.

"Is that a medical kit?" I asked.

Gladde smiled. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a Doctor without one." His fingers stroked over bottles of all sizes and shapes until retrieving a small, square one containing liquid the colour of parchment. His eyes searched my face as he twisted the cork from the bottle's neck. "Who hurt you?" he asked softly.

I shrugged. "Some Death Eater. I didn't see her face. She hit me in the head for not working hard enough." It was strange how comfortable I felt, next to this fire with a Doctor beside me. I snapped back into analytical mode, cursing my guard for lowering. Gladde poured a few drops from the bottle onto a cotton ball and brought it up to my forehead. I leaned back, instinctively. "What is that stuff?"

Gladde raised an eyebrow. "It's not poison, if that's what you're so concerned about." He smiled at his own joke. "It's just to stop the bleeding."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why do the Death Eaters let you carry around a medical kit?"

His perfect face frowned. "Why are you so distrusting of me?"

"I barely know you."

"Well, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Doctor Gladde. Feel free to call me Norman if you wish."

I raised an eyebrow. _"Norman?"_

He smiled brilliantly. "Yes?"

I paused. _Isn't Norman the name of the guy from that movie 'Psycho?' _My mind ticked over everything he'd said. All of his words were sugar-coated, and aimed to get on my good side. Not only that, his entire persona was just too… _pleasant._ If I'd have met him on the street I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Just a nice, helpful man. But here, in the Kennels, he was completely alien to anything I could fathom. There was something he was trying to hide. Layers of slander seeped from him like a stench. No one is so good a person that they can stay positive and good natured in a hell like this. Yes, he was definitely shifty… _for now I should just play along with it. See what he tries to do._

"I – well what I mean to say is…" I stumbled over my words, before smiling awkwardly, "I'm Felicity."

Gladde smiled. "Well Felicity, I need you to stay still for just a moment…" he reached for my forehead, and lightly dabbed at the blood with some cotton. I remained motionless, even though I felt like squirming at his touch. He pulled back his hand and nodded towards my forehead. "You might get a bruise along there, and with skin like yours it'd probably remain visible for a week or two… do you feel dizzy at all?"

I shook my head and then massaged my temple as the throbbing increased. "No… just pain."

Gladde chuckled. "Shaking your head probably isn't such a good idea then."

I half-smiled. "Yeah, probably…"

Suddenly, his hands were holding my face. I instinctively grabbed at his wrists to try and push him away, before he spoke. "It's okay!" he said, startled at my reaction. "I'm just checking your eyes…"

"Why?"

The shade of his eyes seemed to change in the flickering lights of the flames. "To see if you have a concussion, hold still."

I obeyed, grudgingly. Something in the back of my head was nagging me and I nearly gasped before wiping my mind clean and thinking solely of the pain in my temple. After a few tedious seconds of staring back into his gaze, in which I seriously had to repress my desire to squirm out of his reach, he lowered his hands and flashed another cheery grin.

"All seems well to me," Gladde murmured.

I gingerly touched the place where I'd been bleeding, but couldn't feel anything unusual. "Umm…thanks." I said, and began to stand up.

But Gladde had grasped my left arm and was staring down at my scars with an odd intensity in his eyes. Annoyance seethed within me. I wasn't some kind of doll that he could grab and pull and tug without warning. However when he spoke, it was in a voice so chilling that this time I couldn't stop a squirm crawling through my shoulders.

"Interesting scars… for an interesting story."

_Freak_! I was about to reply, when I felt his hand tighten. "Ow!" I squeaked.

Quicker than lightning, Gladde's face snapped up, an odd expression of awakening plastered across its surface. I ripped my arm from his hand, and held it close to my chest, staring at him with wide terrified eyes – making him feel the guilt and watching for his reaction.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "Felicity, I'm… did I hurt you?"

"A little." I snapped, waiting…

"I didn't mean to," he whispered, turning his face to the side in shame. "I just remembered… you remind me of someone."

_So he's going for the depressing story from his past? Interesting. _"Oh?" I asked tentatively.

Gladde's stare locked with mine. "You look a bit like her. Anne. Same kind of hair, except hers was black of course…" he trailed off, looking into the fire. "She was very dear to me."

I followed his gaze. _Nice change of the subject there, Gladde. One point for you. _

"You must miss her." I added, smiling sadly.

He looked up at me, nodding. "I do. But I found that talking about it helps." The flames made his eyes flash gold, and I was randomly reminded of Zach. "Don't you?"

_Oh, very clever – but I'm afraid that I saw right through that. _I cast my eyes down. "No. Not for me, anyway." _Not with you. _I met his caramel stare. "Thanks." I said, smiled for one last time, and then rose and walked to my corner.

I felt a rush of joy to see Jonah there, with only a black eye and a bruise across his cheek. I sat down in between him and Copper, and he smiled and handed me a mushroom cap the size of my palm. Copper leaned over and whispered in my ear. "He only got in one punch before they stopped him. He says they didn't hurt him– _too much."_

I highly doubted that.

Copper nodded towards the fire in the centre of the Kennel. "What did the Doctor talk to you about?"

I shrugged. "Nothing in particular…"

"You don't trust him." Copper stated.

"Not a bit." I answered instantly.

Jonah looked in between the two of us in what could've been a wisp of confusion, before shrugging and biting into his half-rotten tomato. Copper whispered to me again, "I found out who they keep in the Solitary Confinement Cells."

My interest sparked. "How?"

"I had to clean out a few of them today. The first few were empty, but from the state of them, they keep people in there _all the time._" She sighed, looking down at her feet. "The floor was a mess. Leftover food, blood, dirt, human waste; the lot. There was no windows either. The smell was ghastly. Some of the other girls who were cleaning were whispering that they tortured people in these rooms. People who might know something about-" she lowered her voice so it was quieter than a breath _"-Dumbledore."_

My eyes widened. _Shit. _

"Anyway," Copper continued, after a glance around the Kennel. "I think they were right. In the last one I cleaned out, I saw one of the prisoners…" she shook her head.

"What is it?" I asked, although I didn't know whether I wanted to hear the answer.

Copper swallowed. "She was in a bad state. Definitely been tortured. I'd never seen anyone look so defeated. She was still alive – poor thing. But I don't think she'll last much longer."

Something at the back of my head itched. "Copper?"

"Mmhmm?"

"This girl – in the cell." I felt my throat drying up as I thought about it. "What did she look like?"

Copper shrugged. "Plain. White skin. Small in stature, probably would've been short." Her brow furrowed. "She had really thick hair, all brown and bushy." Copper glanced at me in curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

I didn't hear her. I didn't hear anything. My breath caught in my throat and my heart pounded in my chest. _Oh God, _I thought rapidly, again and again and again.

_Hermione._

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was remembering. _

_Her fingers slid over the pages, her gaze resting on the pictures, studying each face. It had been some time since she'd looked through the photographs. Yet still, each moment captured resurfaced to the front of her memory as she looked through the album. _

_Her grandparents. Herself when she was small, wrapped in her mother's arms. A family photo with her cousins by her side. Her room when it used to be a nursery. Her parent's wedding photo – her mother looked like a princess in that gown!_

_The girl smiled when she came to the end. She stared down at the empty slots, waiting to be filled with her own memories for when she was big. Memories that hadn't happened yet, but the girl would know when they did. She closed the album, placed it back on the shelf, and exited the room. Unaware that a year or two later she would have no recollection of that event at all. _

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A/N: Yeah, so that's why Copper uses an alias – she's a registered animagus. Not a good idea for the Death Eaters to know your name if you have that on your record. Also, how do you like Doctor Gladde?


	41. Chapter 19 - Tonight

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello again! Here's the next chapter – where I really start to mix things up… hope you enjoy.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 19 – Tonight

Ryuu

It's amazing what you can achieve with a few extra pairs of eyes, the expansion of social references, silent communication, whispered recollections, a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill. Only two days had passed since I'd found out about Hermione, and already my map was mostly completed.

Jonah and Copper had been a large help. From their descriptions, I'd been able to draw out the mines positioned behind the Kennels, the Death Eater's Quarters below the Manager's apartment, and many other details that I'd missed. I added to the map at night by curling up against the wall, Jonah and Copper sitting in front of me so I remained hidden. A lot of the notes I scrawled were hard to read, but the diagrams were clear and detailed. I'd always been good at drawing.

Gladde was becoming more cumbersome as each minute passed. In Kennel 24, he was constantly wafting around the place, giving people support and filling their heads with false hopes. "We're going to make it out of here, you know. I can help you all. The Death Eaters are foul beings, but I'm on the _inside._ I can help you all escape. Truly."

Just thinking about him made me roll my eyes. What was worse, was that he'd gained some followers - majorly females – who believed his every word. I stayed clear of them. However, I did start to warm to some of the other slaves in the Kennel. If I listened to someone enough, they usually let slip information that was worthless to them, but of use to me. A middle aged man explained to me where he'd seen the Death Eaters and Snatchers walking around at night time, like sentries. "There's always about three waiting around the Storeroom," he told me. "I see them there when I walk back late from the mines."

That man had been quite helpful, but I'd stopped prying information out of him, after I'd spied Gladde chatting away to him. I had a niggling feeling that Gladde was onto me. After I spoke to anyone, he was always one step behind me, pummelling that person with questions and casting me long, searching stares. I had no doubt that when he'd been checking my eyes for 'signs of concussion' he'd used Legilimency to take a little peek into my thoughts. This highly aggravated me, and I was glad I'd thought quick enough to blank my mind.

By the time the third day had passed, my map was completely drawn up and I had plotted points of where the Death Eaters stood at their posts. I had a basic understanding of their movements as they changed guard, and a step-by-step plan of our escape route. I poured myself over the plans at night time, partially from stress, but also from a flicker of glee. It felt good to be doing _something,_ especially seeing as it was against the Manager. Plus, there was the added bonus of thinking through tactics and strategies; my element of expertise.

_We could do this. We could actually get out of here. _No matter what reason told me, I couldn't completely suppress the blissful thoughts. I knew deep down that it was extremely unlikely that we would be successful, but the thought that we could be was intoxicating. Besides, a part of me accepted the fact that if this plan didn't work out, if the Death Eater's caught us, I would end my own life rather than be locked up here any longer. My choices were austere and beneficial, for me at least. It was either freedom… or death.

On Friday morning, during the Assembly, the Manager did his usual show. However, as he neared the end of his speech, he said something that made my interest spark. "We've had some personal offers from some very influential people," he began. I could practically hear the satisfaction in his sly grin, "for their choice of house-elves."

My hands curled into fists. I could feel my hatred for the man on the Stage boiling at the surface of my composure. _This is sickening._

The Manager continued. "Tomorrow, we'll be visited by the bidders and they'll decide on who they'll purchase."

_Whom they'll purchase, _my mind snapped in rage. We were to be auctioned off to wealthy families as slaves to serve their every whim. I couldn't decide whether that fate was worse than the Kennels, but I knew how I felt about the entire situation. I could barely take this anymore. _I'm being treated like an animal!_ _Calm. Control._

"Some of the families who have made offers are;" The Manager referred to a small slip of parchment he held in his hand and cleared his throat. "Mr. Malum Parkinson-"

My eyes widened.

" -Mr. Lucius Malfoy-"

I barely stifled a groan.

"-and most importantly, an enthusiastic enquiry from Ms Dolores Umbridge."

_Oh hell. _My heart dropped, and the victory I'd felt only yesterday seemed decades ago. This was so anti-coincidental. Pansy Parkinson would never miss the opportunity to visit a muggleborn slave camp. Umbridge, the twisted hateful being that she was, would probably _love_ to get her feathered blade on me again. And the _Malfoys_… the memory drenched my mind so suddenly, that I felt weak at the knees.

"_Run!" _he'd said, face paler than I remembered and silver eyes wide. I'd felt my heart beating wildly, the cobbles in the hard stone road digging into my hands. I'd heard the footsteps of the other Death Eaters getting closer and I'd seen the bewildered desperation that had slapped onto Draco's face as he'd looked at me. _In Diagon Alley he… let me go. _My fingers twitched. _Perhaps- _I shook my head. _No. Never. I can't- _my head ached and suddenly, every muscle in my body throbbed in exhaustion. I willed myself back to reality. _Dammit! No, Ryuu. Just don't think about it. Ever._

I forced myself back to the present and cast my sights along the lines of slaves, looking for Copper and Jonah. We had been separated on the way here by Gladde who'd swooped up to me and attempted to make small talk. I found them, recognising Jonah's height and wasn't surprised to see that they were both staring towards me from the corners of the vision.

I knew what I had to do, and now more than ever, I felt I was in the right mindset to do it. Confidence in my plan, a pinch of reckless insanity and just enough fear of what tomorrow would bring to reduce any foolish mistakes. It was now or never. I nodded towards my two companions who nodded back in unison. The message couldn't have been any clearer, and sent nervous tingles down my spine.

_Tonight. _

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Draco

_Tonight. I will find out tonight, _I told myself.

Thankfully, the guard had no knowledge of the small parcel I had secreted from sight. I resumed acting normally, staying quiet and avoiding eye contact, but for the first time in months I wasn't counting. Instead my mind was reeling with questions. Why Snape? Did Dumbledore know? Did _Voldemort_ know? Did He send it? I shuddered, but shook my head. No. Snape didn't work for Him anymore. He left the Death Eaters, like I did. Was that what this was? An _empathy_ gift? A message of alliance? No that seemed too… I struggled for the right word. Well, Snape wouldn't do that. It didn't matter, trying to decipher what was in the package. I would find out soon enough anyway. I just had to wait until the guard left.

_I just have to wait until tonight._

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Ryuu

_Things are going well. _I looked around Kennel 24. Gladde had been repositioned to a different location, much to my delight. I took that as a definite sign that tonight would be the night. Tonight we will leave. Tonight we will die. Either way, tonight would be the last night that I had to live in this grotesque hell-hole.

As always, I curled up in my corner, Jonah at my right and Copper at my left. We closed or eyes and feigned sleep, waiting for the right time. I listened to the sixteen sets of breathing in the Kennel, only three of which were broken and purposely awake. Finally, after hours had passed and minds had shut down, I stirred and peered through the gap in between the panels. The half moon had risen well into the night sky. I judged its distance, thanking Dad for his stockpiles of useless information that had finally become useful.

Approximately 11 or 12 p.m. Perfect.

I subtly slid the map from underneath my toga and brought it out in front of me, referring to the notes I'd made on the side even though I'd already memorised them. Assuming that the slaves I'd talked to were correct, there would be one Death Eater patrolling each row of wooden Kennels; walking up and down the dirt road, over and over. They changed shifts every two hours, which left a small window of non-patrolled escape time while the Death Eaters walked over to their Quarters. If it was 12p.m now, the Death Eaters would just be walking away to change their shifts. If not… I stopped the thought before it progressed. I nudged Jonah and Copper, their eyes flashed open instantly. Like a triple entity, we carefully rose to our feet, looking around at the other slaves warily.

No one stirred.

My eyes already adjusted to the darkness, I began to silently weave my way past the small huddles of sleeping slaves towards the door. I held my breath as I almost stood on someone, but managed to shift around them at the last second. When I reached the door, I looked back to see that Copper was approaching cautiously, but Jonah hadn't moved.

I waved my hand to catch his attention, and caught his stare. I beckoned him closer with my hand, but he shook his head and gestured towards the motionless figures of the slaves. _What about them?_

I shook my head.

He circled his hand around the floor, lifted his palm upwards and then pointed at himself and me. _They would do the same for us._

I sighed. _I don't have time for this! _I mimed, tapping at my wrist impatiently. I motioned him towards the door. _We have to leave, now! _I felt Copper watching this silent interaction patiently from the sidelines.

Jonah's hazel stare was still strong in the darkness. He gazed at me unyieldingly. His hands formed the message in the air in front of him. _We take them, or I stay. _

My jaw locked. This was ridiculous! We'd already had this discussion a long time ago. Dragging thirteen extra people through the camp, would not only be cumbersome, but would make us ludicrously noticeable. But the thought of leaving Jonah, the boy who had been keeping me sane these past few months, was illogical in itself. The fact that he'd stood in my way was a clear enough sign that I needed to get my non-existent balls back in order. I scanned the Kennel floor, ticking over the possibilities. _We need Jonah. He's the muscle. Besides if I leave him here, I'll never forgive myself. _

I sighed and pointed at him, mouthing the words. _Damn you, Jonah! _He recognised my agreement and smiled. He began to move around the room, lightly shaking people into consciousness and willing them to be quiet.

Copper and I shared a look. _You're going to regret this, _her stare said.

_I know, _I replied mutely.

Once all the slaves were awake and looking up at us with beady eyes, the questions began in hushed tones.

"What's going on?"

"Is it the Death Eaters?"

"Is Doctor Gladde coming back?"

I begged for silence, hushing them and using hand signals, but no one listened. Until Jonah stood at the front of the crowd, and the slaves fell silent. I watched this reaction in bemusement. Obviously Jonah was a likeable fellow. I stepped forward to see all the pairs of eyes turn on me with curiosity, and some – to my intrigue, but not to my surprise; distaste. _Geez,_ I thought with a slight smirk, _I can't even get people on the verge of hopelessness to like me._

I cleared my throat. "Okay," I began in a low whisper, "here's how it is. Umm…" I searched awkwardly for the words. _Why was I so clumsy at this kind of thing? _"I have devised an escape plan, and intend to be leaving very soon."

A scoff sounded from the corner of the audience. I recognised Horace Hutchinson, the old man I'd spoken to on my first day. "I'm sorry young lady, but this place is impenetrable."

"From the outside, yes," I replied simply. "However, we are on the inside. And if you do the _clever_ thing, and follow me, we might be able to manage this."

"Oh, because you're so good." A mousy haired woman next to Horace whispered.

"Only if I feel like it." I retorted. I held up the map, and pointed to a dotted line I'd marked. "If we follow this trail, slowly and quietly-"

"-Now hold on just a moment," Horace interrupted smoothly, his tone low and austere. "Do you seriously think you can outwit these Death Eaters. Look at yourself girl, what are you-sixteen? I'm sorry, but you are but a child."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm actually seventeen – not that it matters." I responded grudgingly.

Horace stood up, pointing at me with a frail bony finger. "You are too young girl, and still too foolish. How do you expect to fight the Death Eaters, with nursery rhymes and liquorice wands?"

I narrowed my eyes at the thought of candy that could channel magic. "No that's absurd." I said, but no one heard. All of the slaves had taken to whispering amongst themselves, casting the three of us disbelieving looks. Horace smiled sadly and shook his head as he turned away. I felt my annoyance rising and resisted the urge to yell. I didn't even _want_ to bring them in the first place, and now I was being mocked for trying.

"Listen to me," my voice sounded as hard as my eyes must have looked. My words turned the attention back towards me, and again the pairs of eyeballs stared up with half-assed expectancy. I stepped forward, ignoring Copper's hand at my shoulder and glaring at the audience. "Young I may be," I began in a tone lower than a growl, "but the things I have seen have forced me to grow up quickly."

Silence imbedded itself in Kennel 24, and I felt the weight of the slave's eyes. I continued speaking, all previous awkwardness abandoned. "You're scared. I get it. I'm terrified, I'd be _stupid_ if I wasn't. But there's no use _wishing_ for all of this to be over." I jabbed my finger towards the door, my words tumbling out jaggedly. "They are _winning. _They are winning, and we are losing. If we make it out of here, we can fight against them- we can do _something,_ to even out our chances."

Every face stared at me blankly. No one dared to speak a word. "If we wait here, we're already dead and they've won. Now, I'm no fool. I know they have the upper hand. But if we can get to our wands in the Storeroom, we might have a chance." I stared at each face individually, looking for any kind of response. "And if not- well, I don't know about you guys, but I've always felt that if I'm going down, I may as well do so swinging." At that, I saw Jonah shed an amused smile.

I straightened my shoulders. "We're going to try and escape tonight. I can't help all of you. You can come with me if you want, but frankly, I don't care if you stay. I do _not_ have time for dramatics, or indecision. Make your choice." I locked my eyes on to Horace. "And be quick about it."

I spun on my heel and strode towards the door, carefully opening the hatch to peer through the narrow crack. I cast my eyes up and down the dirt road. No Death Eaters. I'd calculated well, but we had to move fast. It was impossible to tell how much time we had left. I looked back inside the Kennel to see that a small huddle of people had stood up and were making their way towards the door. I counted each person, eight- excluding Jonah, Copper and myself. I was surprised to see the wrinkled face of Horace at the very back, standing next to the mousy haired woman. He caught me stare and nodded gruffly. I returned the gesture with a small sense of satisfaction.

Jonah gave me a nudge with his elbow and scurried through the door on his hands and knees. He scanned the area and then motioned us through, helping a young girl child, who he scooped up under one arm. Once everyone was out, Copper closed the small door and gave me the signal to move out. I corresponded, sure that she would do well guarding the flank.

I tiptoed through the shadows, Jonah at my side, my heart in my mouth. Although I knew they were being as quiet as they could, every shift of someone's foot sounded like a gunshot in my ears. I told myself that it was only because I was listening for them, and tried to block them out. I breathed deeply. _Calm, control._

The entire camp was dead in the night. The air practically tasted of stagnancy and quiet. Nothing moved, save our little group, darting out from behind buildings and shifting through clumps of blessed darkness. Tonight was a perfect cover, with just enough light from the Cheshire cat's grin moon to guide the path of our escape, and just enough hollowness the make us feel alone.

_But we're not alone, _I reminded myself. _Constant vigilance! _I thought, and suppressed the insane urge to laugh.

We circled around the camp, slowly and stealthily making our way towards the Storeroom. On several occasions, we had to hide suddenly, holding our breath as a Death Eater on duty stalked past. Each time this happened, I was afraid that one of the slaves would crumble under the pressure, giving away our location. To my immense relief, the nameless faces were made of stronger stuff. Obviously they had to be, if they were living in this place.

Finally, the Storeroom was in our sights. We hid in the shrubs near a cow pen, watching the guard standing at the back entrance. _Two at the front door, one at the back. Just like I'd planned. _I judged the distance between our hiding place and the door. It was possibly about sixty feet, most of which was shrouded in darkness. We'd need to pass through the animal pens, jumping the fences without making a sound. The last few feet before the door were illuminated by a floating witch light. The Death Eater standing guard would have a dulled sense of night vision, and would only see us coming when we were a few feet away from him. Then all we had to do was… knock him out. I glanced nervously at the wand in his hand. He held it loosely, comfortably. _He's relaxed and not expecting to be attacked. Good news for us. _I stared at his body language some more. A lefty. He held his weapon in his left hand and leaned heavier on his left leg. Possibly the latter observation was from an injury, seeing as his foot dragged slightly when he walked. A silent takedown from the right would shock him, and if he struggled, a quick kick to the left leg would bring him down and make him easier to knock out.

I turned to look at the others. "Alright," I whispered. "I can take him. You guys wait here- we'll be too noisy otherwise." I made to emerge from the shrubs, but the young girl child tugged at my sleeve.

"What?" I whispered in surprise.

The girl pointed towards the Storeroom. "He's already there."

I flicked my head around, my jaw dropping as I spied Jonah deftly moving into the edge of the witch light. He must have slid past me while I was analysing my next move. I marvelled at how silent he was for such a bulky person. _No shit Ryuu. _I kept forgetting about Jonah's muteness.

Jonah waited until the Death Eater's back was turned before sneaking up behind him. I gasped. He was going towards the Death Eater's left! _No!_ I thought wildly, _he'll be much more conscious of his weaker side, go back, go back! _But unfortunately, I wasn't a Legilimens. I watched quietly, heart thudding as Jonah abruptly stood, towering over the Death Eater and thumped him on the back of the head with his massive fist. The Death Eaters slumped to the ground, unconscious, and Jonah gave us the signal to move forward.

"Well, that was effective." I breathed.

The small girl giggled lightly at my remark as I picked her up, holding her easily in my arms. She didn't weigh much, and I could feel the bones of her tiny arms as she hooked them around my neck. I heard the soft footsteps of the others as they followed, skirting around the sleeping farm animals and hopping over the wooden fences.

I was momentarily blinded as I stepped into the rim of witch light. Jonah stood at the door, trying to open it but with no luck. I passed him the young girl and bent down towards the fallen Death Eater. I rummaged through his pockets, finding naught but a few sickles and an empty piece of parchment. _Dammit! _I thought, _no key._

I was just about to tell the others when I remembered. Of course! I didn't need a key. I snatched the wand from the Death Eater's grip, pointing it towards the lock. The wand felt wrong in my hand, the handle was too bulky and the tip sagged downwards. It was as if I'd lost a finger and someone had sewn on a different one to compensate. However, I could also sense the excitement rushing through me. My first spell in months. _I had a wand! _

I grinned. _"Alohomora." _I whispered. The lock sluggishly clicked open, and the spell had caused the handle of the wand to spontaneously heat up, a reaction I'd never felt in my wand. But the simplicity and enormity of the spell filled me with… well, happiness. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to cast a spell.

A middle-aged man with ginger hair, who I recognised as the person who told me about the guards for the storerooms, stepped ahead and put his hand on the door handle. I gave him a nod and he took a deep breath, opening the door fluidly and looking inside. When he looked back at the rest of us, he was smiling in relief. "It's empty," he muttered.

We scurried inside, our footsteps padding lightly on the timber floor. Jonah quietly dragged the limp body of the guarding Death Eater inside and slumped him against a wall. When I stepped into the room, I felt like it was my first day at Hogwarts all over again. I couldn't stop a smile tweaking my mouth when I looked around at all the wands stacked on the walls. They looked to be floating there, probably suspended in the air with magic. They absolutely covered the walls, wands of all shapes and sizes and shades. My eyes scanned the room, looking past the staring slaves to rest on the far wall.

There it was. I walked towards my wand, stopping a step away. It still had the leather cord wrapped around the handle. I gingerly reached out a hand and touched the smooth surface. It seemed to wink into life as I touched it, and the tip of it pulsed with a faint silvery light. I picked it up, feeling the perfection of its weight in my hand. Dogwood with a dragon heart string core. Exactly ten inches in length, unusual for someone of my height. Halfway between springy and sturdy, unyielding and apt for illusionary magic. This was my wand. And no one was going to take it from me again. Ever.

I was surprised to find my knife hanging on the wall near where my wand had been. I grabbed it and tugged it under my rope belt. I then walked along the rows of wands, tying the leather strap onto my wrist as I did so.

_Where is it, where is it? _I passed Copper who was staring down at the long, thin wand in her hands solemnly. My eyes searched the rows of wands, leading me into a corner until finally I saw it. _Ah! _I stood on the tips of my toes to reach it, knocking it onto my palm with my fingertips. Slender and short, with elegant carvings at the base. Hermione's wand was quite unique.

I did one more lap of the room, eyes scanning the walls for Zach's wand but with no luck. Clearly some Death Eater was using it as a spare.

I turned my attention back to the other slaves, noticing that they too had all found their wands. Although we were all silent, the room was buzzing with anticipation. Only a few minutes ago, we were tired, frightened escapees. Now, we were still all those things- except with weapons of mass destruction.

I met Copper's eye from across the room. She nodded and began to usher people towards the door. Jonah helped, and eventually we were back outside again, dashing towards the darkness. We huddled in the shrubs, catching our breath and grinning stupidly at each other. The ginger haired man squatted next to the small girl, wide eyed. "We did it," he whispered.

"That's only phase one." I murmured. I hated to dampen the mood, but I needed to put my head back in the game. We weren't out yet, and the next step was going to be more difficult. "Phase two starts now."

"What do we do?" asked the mousy haired woman.

"Now," I began, glancing at the moon, " Jonah will direct you towards the front gate. There's a stretch of trees there, that are part of the orchard. There you will wait. _Quietly." _

The small girl spoke up, her voice soft and squeaky. "How come you're talking like you won't be there?" she asked, her innocent brown eyes shiny.

I glanced at her. "Because I won't be. Myself and Copper-" I motioned towards Copper who had moved to crouch beside me- "will be going further into the encampment. We won't take long… and we might not get caught."

"What if you do get caught?" asked Horace.

I met his smoky blue eyes. "If that happens, you'll hear me scream and that will be your signal to _get yourselves out."_

The mousy haired woman blinked at me in bewilderment. "But- that's _really_ dangerous!" she said in hushed tones.

"Jill is right." Horace nodded at me sternly. "For whatever reason you think you should do this; I beg you to consider the easier option." His foggy eyes flashed. "You should come with us. Escape while you still can."

I shook my head, looking at the ground. "I can't."

"_Why not?" _Horace hissed.

"Because I have someone I need to save!" I whispered, my tone snapping down like the echo of a whip.

The old man's eyes widened and his jaw slackened. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that sentence from Little Miss Heartless Bitch. I flicked my wand into my palm and looked at Copper. We'd discussed their earlier and she knew the terms. Even though I was jittery with nerves and had a sick feeling in the base of my stomach, I was glad she'd insisted on coming with me.

I glanced at Jonah, and felt a wave of sadness. He was staring at the ground, obviously unable to look at me. In our original plan, he was to come with us. However, under these circumstances I needed him to stay with the others, to make sure that they didn't leave without us. If we did manage to break the shield tonight, the Death Eaters were going to make sure that we only did it once. We all had to escape together. The slaves responded to Jonah better than Copper or myself, so he was the obvious choice to stay with them. It wasn't as if all eleven of us could go and free Hermione. It had been difficult enough sneaking this lot through the camp towards the Storeroom, I had no intention of taking them anywhere near a highly secured area such as the Solitary Confinement Cells.

Still, the thought of leaving Jonah made my stomach churn.

I looked around at the blanched faces of the slaves. "Be quiet, be still, be careful." I commanded. I turned to Jonah, who looked up at me with a pained expression. He grasped my right hand in his, and did the same to Copper. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but failed dismally. He lightly squeezed both our hands before motioning towards his eyes and then pointing at us. _I will see you soon._

"I promise," I whispered, wondering whether or not I had lied.

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Draco

As soon as the guard closed the door behind him, and I could no longer hear his retreating footsteps, I retrieved the parcel from my pocket. It was heavier than I expected, for something no bigger than my hand. My chains clinked as I ripped at the wrappings, tearing randomly due to the darkness of my cell. When I'd finally released the object from its papery bonds, I let it slide into my hands. I stared at it, wondering what I'd been expecting in the first place- it hadn't been this. I felt my heart skip a beat as the memory of this object registered in my mind, and for the first time in what felt like eons a genuine smile seeped across my face.

It was the Rubik's Cube.

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Ryuu

Suddenly it was four days ago, and we were about to dash across the dirt road towards the cover of the Solitary Confinement Cell once more. That chilling feeling of fear bit into me each time we had to peer around a corner or shift from the shadows. Like the respectable rebels we were, we checked both ways before running across the road, lest a Death Eater be patrolling along the path. Copper and I slunk through shadows, quieter than spiders. Just like old times.

No matter how long I'd been running through the dark, hiding from Death Eaters and Snatchers, I still wasn't used to the fear. It gripped me, it's cold fingers sinking through my skin. Sometimes I told myself that it was adrenaline, the way children convince themselves that the spider on the roof above their bed isn't poisonous. But when I let myself relax, when I let my senses dull into a sleep- it was as if I could feel its small legs crawling up my spine to bite the back of my neck with its pincers.

The Solitary Confinement Cells were one continuous block of white brick, frustratingly visible even in the dark. Copper and I waited around the side, in plain view of any Death Eater that should walk along the road. I peered around the edge nervously, looking down the long row of doors. As I spied a guard walking down the aisle, I slowly drew my head back, my heart hammering against my chest. I forced myself to keep one eye on the guard in front of the cells while Copper watched the road.

I stared at the Death Eater as she took slow steps closer, her boots thudding against the ground. I knew she couldn't see me in the darkness, but I felt myself sweating. I breathed deeply. _Calm, control. _The guard was coming painfully close to our position now. I began to wonder if she'd walk right up to the corner and spot us. But she didn't. She turned and began to make her way back down the long row of Cells.

Copper nudged me with her foot, a silent message to say that the Death Eater patrolling the road was getting close enough to see us. I nudged back, and we silently slipped around the corner, tip toeing down the front of the Block, the Death Eater only a few feet in front of us. She hadn't heard us… yet. Copper placed a finger to her lips. I nodded, retreating further into the shadows. Soundlessly, Copper crept towards the Death Eater. When she was a step away from her, she rose, pointing her wand at the Death Eater's back.

Maybe the guard sensed her presence, because she suddenly stopped walking, and was just about to turn around when Copper stunned her with a non-verbal spell. In a spark of purple light, the Death Eater drooped and Copper caught her, placing her down on the ground like she'd done this kind of thing many a time. Copper looked back at me. I gave her a thumbs up. For a moment I could've sworn she'd smiled but in the darkness it was difficult to tell.

We slinked along the column, casting our eyes behind us. Suddenly Copper stopped at one of the doors, nodding towards it. I opened it with a quick charm and we scurried in, closing the door behind us. My eyes squinted in the brightness. I felt uneasy in a room with no darkness, especially seeing as this one had no windows in it either. It was about the size of an en-suite bathroom, the floor as hard and unforgiving as the walls and roof. It was white, simple and bare. It was also a small room, but I barely noticed how claustrophobic I felt as I looked at the girl leaning against the wall at the other end.

As I looked at her, I barely believed it was Hermione. For a moment I thought I'd made an incorrect presumption, and Hermione was dead, like I'd assumed she'd been for months. Surely this girl wasn't Hermione Granger? Her chestnut brown hair was long and raggedy, covering her eyes and tumbling well past her shoulders. She was filthy, covered in grime and her toga torn and bloody. Chains bound her hands and attached her to the wall. But most noticeably, the reason why I couldn't believe that this girl was Hermione was because she had no legs.

"_No," _I whispered, as I stared. They'd been cut off. And not cleanly. There was now two ugly stumps where her knees used to begin. The flesh around the edges was a sickly shade of pale, and the severed stumps were coated in blood. I could see that the flow had been stopped with magic, but it was clear that they needed serious medical therapy. I stuffed my fist in my mouth to stop myself from crying out. _They'd cut off her legs. _I'd been expecting to find her mistreated, perhaps badly injured, but this… I suddenly remembered what Copper had said when I'd asked what the prisoner had looked like. _"Plain. White skin. Small in stature, probably would've been short…" Would've _been short. She couldn't be certain, because…_Oh God. _

Hermione still hadn't moved, and I suddenly realised she was sleeping. I looked over to Copper, suddenly feeling a stab of anger at the woman. "Why didn't you tell me about her legs?" my voice sounded shaky and hoarse.

Copper's eyes widened. "You mean, she wasn't already disabled?"

Disabled. The word sounded so cruel. I felt like ranting at her, but couldn't. _She didn't know. She assumed that Hermione had always been…_ I gulped and slowly began to move closer to her, the figure that couldn't have been Hermione. I knelt down beside her, and brushed a tangle of hair from her porcelain pale skin. My heart sank as I saw her face. Bruised and tired, but Hermione. _Maybe death would've been better, _I thought as I lightly shook her.

"Hermione." It was the first time I'd said her name in ages, and it sounded oddly dry. She still didn't stir, so I shook her again. "Hermione, wake up. Wake up. _Please_." My voice faltered on the last word.

Her eyes opened slowly, as if they were doors in an old house. To my relief, they were still the kind chocolate coloured eyes that had read half the books in Hogwarts. However, when her eyes locked on me, tears welled in the corners and streamed down her cheeks. _"Go away." _She croaked, in a voice sore from screaming.

I wanted to heed her words. I wanted to run from that cell and never look back. I couldn't handle this place. I couldn't look at Hermione anymore without wanting to burst into tears. But somehow, I remained still and grabbed her weak hand in my own. "Hermione, it's me." My voice was lower than a whisper, so that only she could hear. "It's Ryuu."

She was still staring at me. "No. It can't be." Her voice was stronger now, and I thought I could hear a little of that know-it-all tone behind her fatigue.

I squeezed her hand. "It is," I whispered hoarsely.

For a moment, Hermione's eyes narrowed in scrutiny, taking in my clothing of slavery, the knife in my belt and the wand in my hand. She shifted into more of a sitting position, awkwardly moving her half present legs with her hands. She fixed me in her gaze again, staring long and hard. I felt like I should say something, and cleared my throat.

"Umm, I know it's a little late, but-" I bit my lip, wondering if she would remember. "-sorry for what I said to you in my dormitory. It was un-called for."

Hermione gasped, her eyes shining from more than just tears. She flung her arms around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder. "Oh my God, it is you! You're here! I- I thought I was dreaming or something…"

I patted her back softly, feeling myself smile. "How did you know it was me?"

She pulled back, a slight grin on her lips. "Because only you would say something _that_ irrelevant at a time like this."

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again. I reached behind my back and pulled out Hermione's wand from my belt. I pressed it into her hand, she stared down at it, eyes wide. "I have a plan to get you out of here," I said, glad to hear that my voice had returned to normal. "I don't have much time to explain, and don't even _think_ about telling me-"

"-You have to go on without me." Hermione interrupted quickly, eyes hard and ablaze.

"_-to leave you behind."_ I finished, shaking my head. "No. I'm taking you with me."

"This Cell has complicated enchantments on it," Hermione hissed "they already know that someone came in here unannounced. They could come flocking here at any minute."

"Which is why, I need you to shut up and co-operate with me."

Hermione's expression was pleading, and she started crying again. "Get out of here now, before they kill you." She whispered. "There's no hope for me, but you have to go home. Please, you have to help my parents and Harry… and you have to tell Ron-"

"Hermione." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't a negotiation. I came here to rescue you, and I am damn-well going to do it." I sighed and attempted a smile. "Besides, Weasley would never forgive me if I left you here."

Hermione tried to speak but instead smiled sadly. She looked down at her wand and gripped it tighter, her face hardening. The tears stopped and she nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I muttered. I released the breath I'd been holding in and turned towards the door. I'd almost forgotten Copper was there, she'd been so respectfully quiet. "Check to see that the coast is clear," I ordered before spinning back to Hermione. She was still sitting on the ground, her mouth twisted awkwardly.

I leaned down beside her. "Do you think you can fight?" I asked her.

She frowned. "Well, I can cast spells well enough, it's just…" she stared down at the stumps that used to be her legs, her lip trembling.

I forced a shaky smile. "You don't need to worry about that." I reassured her.

She looked up at me, surprised at my tone. "I don't know if you can carry me." Her voice wavered, "I might find it difficult to… hang on."

"I won't need to carry you," I flicked my wand into my hand as Copper approached us, nodding towards the door. I looked back at Hermione's curious face and raised an eyebrow. "Say, have you ever ridden a horse?"

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was wishing._

_The old well was a novelty, she knew- it had been around for a long time and the girl doubted that all visitors had experienced their wish come true- but the girl thought it would be fun to drop some money in, anyway._

_She watched the coin sink to the bottom of the well, and then narrowed her eyes in thought. What to wish for, what to wish for? There were the classic ones, of course. Money; the girl was lucky in the fact that she was quite wealthy, thanks to her Daddy's job. Love; the girl didn't need to wish for that. World peace; Hmm, that was a good one. Might be worth considering. _

_She looked down into the dark well, counting the coins at the bottom. She wondered how many of those wishes had been deposited by true believers, or just another sceptic like her. She assumed the majority. She then pondered over the thought of which wishes came true, if any. _

"_Well," she thought aloud. "I'm certain that not all wishes come true. So therefore, whoever decides the ones that do must be pretty biased." She caught her reflection shimmering along the surface of the water. "And if someone can decide on which wishes are worthwhile, world peace will never truly happen…" the girl theorised solemnly. _

_She shrugged, smiling. "Oh well," she murmured, and began to walk away. As she did so, she did what any other young girl would do and secretly wished for a pony._

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A/N: Yes, I took Hermione's legs. Yes, I am a horrible person. No, I have not entirely forgiven myself.


	42. Chapter 20 - Fraud, Fire, Flee

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello again! Here I the next chapter; which again is one of my favourites. Enjoy!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 20 – Fraud, Fire, Flee

Ryuu

As soon as we exited Hermione's cell I realised just how useless stealth would be to us now. Partly, because Copper would have to transform into a horse to get Hermione out of here. Majorly, because of the raging fire in the distance, and the fact that several dozen Death Eaters were running around wildly.

We stayed close to the white wall of the Block as we stared out at the street opposite. Death Eaters and Snatchers were searching in groups, calling out orders and sprinting towards the fire. Amongst the confusion, I noticed a strand of slaves sneak out from their Kennel. I watched as a Death Eater came up and ordered them back inside their den, but quicker than lightning, one of the slaves tackled the Death Eater and took his wand, killing him in a bright flash of green.

I gaped. What the hell had happened? In a matter of minutes, the dead-still night had turned into a raging fit of anarchy. I moved my gaze towards the spectacular fire in the distance, and suddenly whiffed the awful smell that had poisoned the air.

It was the smoke, but not only that. It was the stench of burning flesh. The Pile. It was on _fire_.

Hermione coughed from her perch on Copper's back. Copper was still in her human form, and staring at the scene in front of her with disbelieving eyes. "The Cell- it blocks out all noise. That's why we never noticed…" Hermione choked on a breath of smoke.

I shook myself out of my shock and pointed away from the fire. "You need to get out of here!" I shouted, my voice thin over the crackling of the flames and the yells of both Death Eaters and slaves alike. "Get to the Gate, and wait for me there!"

"Where are _you_ going?" Hermione's grip around Copper's neck slipped, but she managed to catch herself again.

"I think I know who's behind this." I gestured towards the burning Pile. "I need to stop him before he directs any more of the Death Eaters towards us. He's already captured their attention." I scowled, choking on the foul smoke.

"Gladde." Copper stated, and I nodded.

"_Who?" _Hermione interjected.

I approached both of them, speaking quickly. "Get her away from here. Run- or _gallop_ as fast as you can. Head straight for the Gate. Wait there for about twenty minutes. All the Death Eaters are swarming around the fire, so you should be able to do that without _too_ much hassle. If I'm not there after twenty minutes-" I broke off, staring into her deep black eyes. "-you know what to do." For a split second, Copper looked like she was going to say something, before her face resumed its usual blank and she nodded once.

I looked up at Hermione and smiled. "Hold on tightly." I said.

She shook her head at me. "You're _completely_ mad."

"Hopefully that'll keep me alive." I replied. I cast her one last smirk and then began to walk away.

Before I could, Copper shouted after me. "Felicity!" I turned, to see her looking for the appropriate words. "Be careful," She finally said.

I nodded, awkwardly. "You too, Copper."

She stared half a second longer, before yelling out again. "Roslyn."

I felt myself smiling. "Ryuu."

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_This certainly wasn't part of the plan, _I thought as I madly scrambled through the camp, stunning Death Eaters and dodging bloodthirsty hordes of slaves as I ran. _Although, I suppose anyone running towards a fire doesn't have a plan in mind._

My feet seemed to be independent from the ideas of fatigue and pace normality. I unthinkingly jumped over bodies, sprinted over gravel, and leaped away from puddles of water. My eyes were as readied as my wand, glancing around constantly, fear providing me with the instinctive will to survive. I was near the farms now. I could feel the heat from the fire searing in front of me, and spied shadows below it firing water at the flames with their wands. I slowed down, glancing around for the arsonist when I heard it.

A rhythmic beat, sarcastically slow. I looked over to see Gladde's smug face as he sat leisurely on a barrel next to a fence, applauding me with a slow clap. His eyes glinted in the firelight. "Good evening, _Miss Veil."_ He added a great deal of unnecessary emphasis to my name.

I stared at him, bored. "Am I supposed to be surprised?"

A flicker of anger that he didn't conceal quick enough. He slid down from his barrel and sauntered towards me, clearly displaying the wand he held in his hand. "I had a feeling I would see you around here, after I saw you and that black dyke scamper across here on Monday." He smirked, an action that made his beautiful face crinkle unattractively. I registered his change in language. _Not so polite now are we?_ "You should plan your little escape routes less publicly."

I felt like bursting into laughter, but kept it to a muffled giggle. He thought that Copper and I returning from our escapade at the Tool Shed had been a practise of our escape route! It was such a foolish miscalculation, made all the more funnier by the fact that Gladde thought himself to be so cunning. I motioned towards the burning Pile. "Is that your signal for the Death Eaters," I hid a grin, "to lead them towards our location?"

"Pretty impressive- don't you think?" His face adopted an expression of utter self-satisfaction. I tried to control myself. _Oh, this is just such a failure on his part. Why on earth would we try and escape from the side of the farms? The front gate had an obvious door that was breached regularly for convenience. _I glanced at his posture. He didn't look like a fighter, from the way he casually tapped his wand at his side, and didn't even bother to cast his enemy a glance.

I made my face look mockingly wary and cleared my throat. "Oh yes. Very impressive." He turned towards me, eyes narrowed at my tone. I held my wand tighter, preparing, but continued in my light-hearted tone of fake despair. "My oh my, Doctor Gladde! It seems you've doomed us all!"

He flicked his perfect hair away from his eyes, a hint of confusion powdering his face. "You know, as soon as I saw those scars on your arm, I knew who you were."

"Is that so?" I encouraged, one eyebrow raised. I took a step closer. He was only a few feet away from me now, and still hadn't fixed the grip on his wand.

He nodded, folding his arms, increasing the ease in which I could stun him. "I'd had a few discussions with Dolores Umbridge. It seems she has a personal vendetta against a particular student she taught at Hogwarts last year."

"I tend to have that effect on people." I smiled sweetly and took a step closer. Gladde still hadn't noticed my gradual approach.

"Yes well, the Death Eaters wanted you imprisoned immediately, but I convinced them to let me study you for a few more days, to figure out what your plan was. When I told Umbridge I'd discovered you here in the Kennels, she agreed to come along as quickly as she could- and promised to bring a few friends she knew you'd love to meet up with again."

"Such a kind woman." I chimed.

"Very kind indeed, with the opportunities she provided me." Gladde responded in the low, creepy voice I'd heard him use once before.

I rolled my eyes and took and took another tiny step. "Listen Norm, can I call you Norm?"

Gladde's mouth twitched. "My name is Norman."

I ignored him, looking at him levelly in the eye. "I'm on a bit of a tight schedule here Norm, and would really prefer it if you didn't prattle on and got to the point." It felt strangely thrilling to be acting again. Maybe it was the adrenalin coursing through me. Or maybe I just felt like ranting.

Gladde shifted, awkward. "Well- I mean- aren't you shocked at all?" he asked, his voice suggesting a tad of annoyance, "to find out who I am?"

I shrugged. "I've known who you were from the moment I saw you."

Far away, I heard the yells of Death Eaters towards some slaves, before the Death Eaters fell ominously silent. Gladde opened his mouth and closed it again, a ridiculously handsome fish caught off guard. I began, my tone easy and clear.

"You're a muggleborn, that much is true at least. Maybe you're even into healing. Doesn't matter anyway. You're most defining quality is your willingness to screw over the little people, in a false sense of authority. You see yourself as clever, gorgeous enough to manipulate any woman- and some men if you worked at it. Mostly, you want to stay comfy, with simple luxuries like a roof over your head, food in your hands and the belief that you are a part of the upper class system."

Gladde's tanned skin had paled and his face had turned oddly still.

"So," I continued. "when the war came around, you found yourself as the underdog. Suddenly muggleborns were the prey, and you would do _anything_ to stay out of that classification. Naturally, when you're captured one day, you offer up your services as a snitch."

I took another step closer and began to raise my wand a little higher. My tone turned mocking. "So you did it. Grudgingly at first, but soon enough you found a sense of enjoyment. A part of you had always enjoyed to watch weaker ones in pain- maybe that's why you became Doctor. You told them little secrets, identifying the thinkers and warning the Death Eaters about them." I smirked. "It's strange how someone who sees weakness so well doesn't even notice how easily they're being played."

Gladde hadn't blinked since I'd begun talking. He was still staring at me as if I'd just spontaneously turned into a horse. I pressed on, completing my analysis.

"You think that the Death Eaters care what you say?" I scoffed. "Do you think they give a damn whether you live or die? They don't. They're just a toying with you, like a cat plays with a mouse before it swallows it. You think you're safe, but you're not." My eyes hardened. "No-one is."

Gladde looked as if he was about to reply, but I suddenly spoke up again, placing the irrelevant cherry on top of the cake of hard truth.

"Oh and also," I said, looking him up and down, "you have commitment issues." He jerked his hand up, but I'd already pushed my wand against his throat, holding it there stiffly. His eyes flickered downwards in shock, but as he moved I pressed it in further and he gasped.

He looked back at me, caramel eyes brimming in confusion. "How- did you know?" he managed to mumble.

I smirked. "I've had experience with traitors before and frankly- the last girl was better."

Then the red light from my paralysis jinx made his entire body go stiff and he fell to the ground in a perfect plank. I gave him a kick on the face for good measure, and then ran away, making my way back towards the front gate.

As I swerved into the main street, I stopped in my tracks, aghast as I looked at the figure in front of me. The scars on my arm tingled. She hadn't changed, my tormentor from the past. She still wore that ghastly shade of pink and proudly topped her short blonde hair with an obscenely large velvet bow. She trotted around in impractical shoes, and –to my utter amazement- was carrying a thin pink clipboard in her left hand and her wand in her right. But what was most familiar about Umbridge, was the fact that her ash smeared cheeks were red, along with the rest of her rage ridden face. Her toady eyes locked on me, and her mouth curved into a tiny circle. _"You!"_ she spat, her face changing to an even darker shade of scarlet.

My mind whirled. Umbridge! My nerves jittered simply by looking at her. I _hated_ this woman almost as much as I feared her. I tried to think of what I could do, when suddenly Copper's words sprang into my mind. _"The only way for that scar to truly fade, is if you make it very clear to that person that they failed." _I felt myself gradually forming a smile as I raised my wand to point at the woman's ugly face.

"Hi there!" I said brightly, as my non-verbal stunning jinx exploded from my wand, and Umbridge was knocked violently to the ground, head bleeding badly, unmoving.

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Draco

As I clicked the coloured squares on the Rubik's Cube back and forth, I found an odd sense of calm. Before, when I had tried to solve this muggle puzzle, I had become frustrated at my lack of success. Now, it seemed I had accepted that I'd never truly understand the cube, but habitually fiddled with it anyway.

I twisted the base anti-clockwise. _Why had Snape given me this? _It had been on my person when I'd surrendered, so that meant that Dumbledore must've been keeping my personal belongings safe. Perhaps he hadn't broken my wand like I assumed he had. The thought made me smile.

Suddenly, I stopped. The idea had struck me out of nowhere, and now it was all I could think about. _Could it be… that Ryuu sent it? _I remembered the last time I'd seen her, at my feet in Diagon Alley. As usual I hadn't been able to decipher her thoughts. Even when surprised her face maintained its constant veil. Like the Rubik's Cube, her mind was impossible to figure out. Everything she did was enigmatical. Like in the alleyway as she'd teased me and sneered, her face a perfect mask, but eyes welling in tears and afraid. At that moment, for the first time that year, I'd knowingly watched her lie to my face.

I looked down at the cube, its vibrant colouring a beacon in the darkness. If she had sent this to me, what was the message? Was she taunting me? Trying to contact me?

I stuffed the cube back in my pocket and tried to sleep, my semi-dreams haunted with watching green eyes.

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Ryuu

The main road was empty of Death Eaters or Snatchers because they'd all ran over to the fire. They were still trying to douse the flames, much to my amusement. However, even though I didn't see an enemy on my way to my escape, I still clung to the shadows and moved as silently as I could. I was tired, slightly panicky and sore all over, but as I spied the front gate ahead of me I'd never felt more alive.

As I came closer, I saw the bodies of the two Death Eaters who stood guard. Above them, stood about two dozen people, some of whom I recognised as the people who'd followed me from Kennel 24. Others were foreign to me and looked to be in a rougher state. Some were injured, and all were looking around impatiently, casting me suspicious looks. _Newcomers,_ I thought, _probably some of the slaves who escaped during the fire._ I didn't really care. I only had eyes for three people- well two people and a horse.

"Ryuu!" Hermione exclaimed as I approached. Horse-Copper (I still couldn't think of her as Roslyn) plodded forwards, as steadily graceful as she was in her human form.

I was about to speak but was interrupted by Jonah's sudden greeting. In one swift movement my feet had left the ground, and he pivoted me around, his face beaming at me. "Ah!" I called out in shock, unaccustomed to being so tall. Sensing my discomfort, Jonah gently returned me to the ground, grinning wanly.

"Come on," I said as I ran towards the front gate. Horse-Copper trotted after me. I stopped just in front of the shield, next to a newcomer, a blonde woman with light brown eyes.

"Are you Felicity?" she snapped, her eyes anxious.

For a second, I didn't know what she was talking about. Then I nodded. "Yes."

"Good," the woman said, turning towards the shield and poking it with her wand. Red light flashed where her wand tip made contact. "Thanks for leaving the Storeroom open," she murmured.

"Thanks for waiting." I replied. The woman didn't say anything, but I took that as an acceptance. Maybe these people had owed me something, but they could've easily have left by now. _I probably would've, _I thought ruefully.

She traced her wand over the shield wall, watching the flow of red light in concentration. "It's a strong defence. But weaker here." She prodded her wand into the shield and a blue spark flashed across the surface. "The Death Eaters must have used a specific counter curse, but it can be disabled with enough force. You wouldn't have been able to crack it with normal spells." She glanced at me from the corner of my eyes. I decided to allow the insult. I did know a few counter curses for defensive shields, and I'd planned to try them all out- but obviously I was lucky that this woman was here.

The woman stepped back. I watched in interest as she magically traced a circle around herself. She looked over to me. "You might want to move back a little," she warned.

"Why?" I asked cautiously.

The woman smiled. "Let's just say, that when this shield breaks, it's going to have a little… _kick."_

I nodded and backed away, ushering the crowd to do the same. We waited silently as the woman raised her wand and mumbled some words that I failed to hear. A bolt of gold lightning struck the shield and briefly illuminated a large rectangular gap, before the surface of the shield seemed to shimmer and blinked out of existence. A roaring sound exploded a millisecond later, and I stumbled as the earth beneath my feet shuddered. The woman was knocked back a few paces, the circle of light around her glowing, but she kept her feet. I grabbed onto Horse-Copper's mane to steady myself, which she obviously didn't admire seeing as she whinnied at me in frustration.

When the trembling below stopped, I looked around to see that some of us had fallen over, but none were injured. The blond woman was breathing heavily, wand still pointed in front of her. Slowly, she lowered her weapon, taking a few steps forward. She passed through the spot where the shield had been moments before, looked back and grinned in glee.

As one, we all ran. Sprinting out of the camp and into the night. I heard the sounds of Death Eaters yelling behind me, but didn't care. We hit the cover of trees and continued to scramble through the forest, dodging underneath branches and jumping over bushes. Jonah grasped my hand as we ran, and I stayed behind Horse-Copper's tail. Spells collided with tree trunks behind us, but continually missed our sprinting figures. After a while, we could no longer hear the sounds of our chasers, but we continued running all the way into the new dawn, sunlight blinding us.

_We made it, _I thought in amazement, _we're free._

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We'd found a place to rest easy enough, cloaking our area in protective enchantments and sprawling on the ground, exhausted. Miraculously we'd all managed to stay together- I could barely believe it after our crazed scramble through the forest. I scanned the group, counting faces. _Twenty-six. _It had started as three, grown to eleven, and then because of the unexpected newcomers, twenty six of us had managed to escape. Every now and then I had to convince myself that I wasn't dreaming.

After we'd caught our breath I held a meeting. It was important that we kept moving. I suggested that we apparate to Hogwarts in small groups; seeing as apparation was only recommended to transport less than five people at a time; starting with the injured and the elderly. A few people protested to going to Hogwarts, and demanded that they should be returned to their homes, where they insisted they would be safer. Most people argued that Hogwarts was far more protected, and one group vote later, it was decided we'd go to Hogwarts.

When I asked whom in the group could apparate, several hands shot up. However when I looked at the people, I noted the bags under their eyes and the hunch in their shoulders. Although they continually told me that they would be fine to apparate, I shook my head. "You need to have a clear mind to apparate, I know that much." I turned to Jonah, the only volunteer who looked remotely healthy, and he agreed without hesitation.

I tried to make Hermione go first, but she refused. "I'll leave when you do." She said sternly.

"But I'll be going last!" I complained.

"Then I shall leave last." She replied stubbornly.

No matter how much we argued, I couldn't convince her otherwise. However, I found myself at the end of the argument with a smile instead of a scowl.

Finally, I allowed myself to relax. I sat against a tree trunk next to Hermione, who leaned awkwardly against it, trying to find her balance. The tough wood dug painfully into my back. I didn't mind. I stretched my legs out in front of me and sighed, closing my eyes and listening to the sound of Jonah's apparation in the distance. The summer sun warmed my skin.

"Thanks again, Ryuu." Hermione whispered.

I opened my eyes and rolled my head over to look at her. She looked better than she did before, now that the grime had been cleaned from her face and the blood from her… legs. "You're welcome," I replied awkwardly. I always found it odd when people thanked me for something. It made me feel as if I was a knight in shining armour or something, gallantly trotting about and saving people. When in reality, most of what I did involved a lot of luck, some good calculations and instinctive spell casting.

_Crack, _another group left. Hermione tucked her matted hair behind her ear and spoke more clearly. "When last you were there…" I met her brown eyes. "Were Ron and Harry and Ginny all… okay?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, they were okay. But… that was a long time ago." Who knew what had happened to them by now.

Hermione's eyes narrowed and her head tilted slightly. "How long have you been gone?"

I did a rough count in my head, my heart sinking as I got the answer. "About three months."

"Oh." There was a _crack_ in the distance as Jonah returned. Hermione picked at the grass with her fingers, forming a heap of torn sprouts.

I felt like I should say something to cheer her up. "You know, after you were taken Ron ran away."

Her head flicked up, and her eyes were rimmed with worry. _"What?"_

_Oh, nice job Ryuu. _"Oh no, we found him!" I reassured her, babbling clumsily. "I mean- it took us a while, and he kind of attacked us when we did, but we found him quickly enough and brought him back."

Hermione shook her head. "Why would he be so stupid to leave Hogwarts?"

"He was looking for you."

She pressed her lips together, and returned to pulling at the grass. _Crack, _another group disapperated. "They told me they'd killed him. And Harry. They told me they'd found my parents too." She avoided eye contact. "I didn't really believe them, even though they showed me mirages…"

I stiffened, not wanting her to continue. I didn't want to think about what the Death Eaters had done to Hermione. Just looking at her severed legs made me depressed. Hermione sighed and looked over at me again. "When did we get into this mess, Ryuu?"

I shrugged, glad the topic had changed. "Probably from the moment we got our letters." _Crack._

"Hmm," Hermione smiled sadly, her eyes glazing over in memory. "That was the most magical day. I remember I was so excited, and so nervous, especially when we went to Diagon Alley."

"Why were you nervous?" I asked, re-lacing the leather strap around my wand handle idly.

"Because I was suddenly a member of this new world," Hermione replied. "And, I didn't know a thing about it. I'd always been pretty bright at muggle school, and I was afraid that in this Hogwarts I would seem _stupid."_ I smiled as I noticed the change in her tone. This was the Hermione I remembered. "So," she continued. "In the few weeks before school I read everything I could. All of our textbooks, history books, even some fiction." She smiled. "I guess I just wanted to try and fit in with the other kids."

"I know what you mean," I said. "I did the same thing… well kind of. Before I went to Hogwarts, I visited Diagon Alley practically _every_ day. I looked around, talked to people- tried to understand as much as I could."

"Your parents let you do that?" Hermione inquired.

"My parents weren't there. They had to leave on the day before I got my letter." I brushed a blond ringlet out of my face. _Crack. _"Dad went to Africa to take some photos for the _National Geographic. _Mum had to be transferred to Scotland for a few weeks to replace someone."

Hermione's eyebrows raised. "And they just left you alone?"

"Yeah." I replied. When Hermione opened her mouth in shock I shrugged. "What? I was eleven, I could take care of myself." _Crack._

"What about when you found out you were a witch?" Hermione said.

I smiled. "It's a funnily traumatic story actually. When you got your letter, who did they send to deliver it?"

It was custom for muggleborns to have their letters delivered to them by a representative from Hogwarts. Otherwise, most parents would think it to be some kind of joke when an owl dropped an envelope at their door, talking about a school of magic. Hermione had stopped pulling out grass. "Professor McGonagall," she replied.

"Huh." I nodded. "It's almost as if they knew…"

"Knew what?" Hermione laughed. _Crack._

"Well," I began, "It's just a tad coincidental that you should get the Head of Gryffindor house, and I get the Head of mine…"

Hermione gasped. "You got _Snape?"_

"It was certainly a memorable day," I said, shaking my head in embarrassment. "There I was, innocently watering the bonsai tree, when I heard someone knocking. Like the responsible child I was, I made sure to leave the chain attached when I opened the door." I paused, sighing. "And then I looked through the gap, and saw Snape's hook-nosed face sneering down at me." _Crack._

Hermione giggled. "What did you do?"

"What do you think I did? I shut the door in his face." I said, smiling myself a little. "I thought he was some psycho, or maybe an oddly dressed Jehovah's Witness. Anyway, when he continued knocking I eventually opened the door to tell him to go away- but he called me by my name so I decided to hear him out a little longer. He gave me the letter and proved he was a wizard when I told him he was crazy."

"How did he prove he was a wizard?"

"He turned the doorknob into a brass spider. That pretty much had me convinced, no matter how insane I felt." I paused, remembering the sense of wonder I'd felt. I was a _witch_. I was magical! I hadn't known how that made sense and who the creepy man in black was, but I didn't care. Because it was all so randomly sensational. "So I told my Mum the good news, and she took a plane back home to check my mental health. Snape had to come back the next day to take us both to Diagon Alley- a day out I think he enjoyed _immensely."_

Hermione laughed, and I joined in, finding it to be contagious. It felt like the first time I'd laughed in months. It probably was. Eventually my stomach began to ache and I stopped, wondering if my life would ever be like it had been on that day. Back then, I'd been innocent. I'd been happy. I'd been _safe. _I closed off my mind, refusing to think of home.

Another _crack_ whipped across the clearing and Jonah returned once more. As I looked around, I realised with a start that we were now the only people here. "Time to go," I said, standing and scooping Hermione up into my arms. She locked her arms around my neck, and leaned into me so she wouldn't fall. It wasn't hard to carry her. I needed two arms, but she was almost as light as a child.

Jonah walked over to us and placed a hand on my shoulder. _Ready?_ His hazel eyes asked.

I nodded, and suddenly we were being squeezed through space and my senses tipped as my feet hit the ground again.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was drawing. _

_The picture didn't look all bad. The girl knew she could do better, though. She picked up a green crayon and was just about to scribble it over the blank stretch of grass when her mother knelt beside her. _

"_What a beautiful drawing," the mother complimented._

_The girl was still young, and had only mastered a few words. "Yes." She said promptly._

_The mother's slender finger traced the edge of the paper. "Are you going to colour the grass green?"_

"_Yes." What other colour would it be? The girl lifted the green crayon again._

"_Hmm…" the mother said, and the girl stopped. The mother picked up a purple crayon and held it in front of the girl. "why don't you colour it purple?"_

_The girl frowned. But grass was green. Why would it be purple when it was clearly green? "What?" the girl said. Whenever she said that word, she always over pronounced the 't', making her sound like she was snapping in frustration. _

_The mother smiled and placed the purple crayon back on the table. She motioned towards the other crayons. "Well, if not purple, why not blue or orange or red?"_

_The girl looked at her colourless drawing. Then at the crayons. Then at her mother. "What?"_

"_You can use green if you want," the mother giggled, "but it doesn't really matter. You can make this picture look however you want it to. If you felt like it, you could make the sky pink and the grass yellow."_

_The girl tilted her head, considering this. It would be more fun if the sky were pink. The clouds would look like fairy floss. The girl picked up a brown crayon and messily began to colour in the leaves on a tree. The mother smiled, leaving her daughter to develop her creativity for herself. _

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A/N: Yay, they're out! I was beginning to worry… Doctor Gladde is an original character of mine and he's actually loosely based on several people that I know in real life. I named him Norman as a reference to _Psycho_; my favourite movie. And I named Copper: 'Roslyn' because one of the meanings for that name is horse.

Also, in the last chapter – did anyone pick up on my Starkid reference? A cookie if you can tell me what it was.


	43. Chapter 21 - An Almost Plan

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Thank you oober for your review! Here is the next instalment, I know some of you are exited, but just saying, this chapter isn't the slightest bit interesting. Not at all. Not even a game changer or anything. No references to how the end of the story will be determined. Not one single anti-climactic moment. Totally dull. ;) Enjoy!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 21 – An Almost Plan

Ryuu

When my senses came to, I saw that I was standing on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, the magnificent view of Hogwarts in front of me. I felt the soft carpet of the forest floor beneath my toes and the rush of cool wind against my cheek. I could smell the crisp scent of pine needles and flowers in the air. And I could hear the malignant slick tone that could only belong to Severus Snape.

"You have no business here." He droned. I tilted my head, looking for his face through the crowd of escapees. "If you do not leave immediately, I will be forced to use the upmost… _unpleasant measures_ until you do so."

I stood up on the tips of my toes so I could take in the scene. The shifting mirage of the Hogwarts shield was slightly distorting Snape's face. However, I could still clearly see the hidden smugness in the corners of his mouth. He looked through the shield at the crowd of desperate people with merciless black eyes.

"It's like we told you!" argued a man at the front of the crowd. "We're not enemies. We escaped from the Kennels and came here for protection."

Snape fixed his gaze onto the man, who shrank back in alarm. "I'm afraid that by Dumbledore's orders, no one can pass through the shield." He replied calmly. "There is too much at _risk_." He turned away.

Hastily I deposited Hermione into Jonah's strong arms. I felt my cheeks flushing in anger as I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and strode forward until I was only a few inches in front of the barrier. "You can be _certain_ of a risk if you do not let us pass."My voice rang with command.

Snape stopped in his tracks and slowly pivoted his head around. When his eyes locked on to me, I could've sworn I saw a flicker of surprise before they resumed their usual unforgiving abyss-like state. I held my ground as he walked towards the shield, surveying me with a critical gaze. He flicked his wand upwards, in synchrony with my own arm. The corner of his mouth twitched as I continued to hold my wand steady. He stopped a step away from the shield. "Miss Veil… returned from the dead I see."

I raised an eyebrow. _Dead, huh? _"Regrettably, I never got that mercy," I replied. "Let us through."

"Prove it." Snape spat, wand still poised for attack.

I answered unflinchingly. "Strawberry éclair."

Snape narrowed his eyes. I nodded my head behind me. When his gaze followed my direction and took in Hermione, he lowered his wand to point at the shield and began to mutter a counter-curse.

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Draco

My eyes flicked open.

I was awake.

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Ryuu

It had barely changed. The stone walls, the extending corridors blushed with flickering candlelight, the slightly rustic suits of armour standing sentry at every corner, the occasional glance from a portrait… the exterior of the castle I had lived in for so long was eternal.

However, it was hard not to notice the decrease of people walking through the halls.

Snape marched us towards the Room of Requirement, black robes billowing behind him. I noticed the wary looks that people gave us as we passed. Some people's eyes widened in recognition as they took in the group of muggleborns. I kept a look out for Zach or Dennis, but with no luck. _Are they alive? The last time I saw Zach…_ I remembered him running for his life into the cover of the woods. _And Den; had he left Hogwarts? No, he must've stayed here. Where are they_? Hermione caught my searching expression and smiled wanly.

As I stood in front of the Room of Requirement, I caught the scent of medicine. It was only then that I registered the aching throbs that pulsed through my body. There was a twist in my shoulder that made it awkward to move, stinging on my back from when one of the Death Eaters had lashed me with a whipping hex, my feet felt as if they had a hundred stones lodged into their soles, and my head was spinning from dehydration and hunger. I looked down at my hands. They were blanketed in grime and cuts. A particularly nasty slice along my right palm was surrounded by a red rash and stinging painfully.

_Have I been like this all this time? _Perhaps I'd learned to block the pain.

The group began to shuffle through the door. I was about to follow, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Snape regarded me with beady eyes. "Follow me, Miss Veil."

"Why? Where are we going?" My voice sounded more hoarse than Copper.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you." Snape said in his automaton tone.

I looked back at the doorway of the Room of Requirement. Jonah was waiting at the back of the group, the bright lights from inside highlighting the dirt covering his face. I turned back to Snape. "Dumbledore can wait. I have a responsibility to these people." The words sounded clumsy and unnatural in my mouth.

Snape smirked. "How… _noble." _His jet eyes glinted. "They will be treated with the upmost care. Now, Miss Veil, follow me." His hand tugged me along.

For a split second, I remembered Greenwood dragging me along the gravel road towards the Manager's office. I could feel myself back in the moment. The suppressed fear. The uncertainly. The dwelling doom of my position. My heart pounded. Before I could think, I grabbed Snape's wrist and twisted it until he grunted in pain and released his hold. I backed away a few steps, breathing shallowly, barely noticing the flash of rage across Snape's face.

My mind clicked back to the present and I looked away from Snape's gaze. "I can walk myself." I muttered gruffly and strode past Snape towards Dumbledore's office.

_What the hell was that? _I thought frantically, as I heard Snape's footsteps behind me. I turned a corridor, ignoring the shocked expression on Lupin's face as he saw me. _Am I going mad? I'm at Hogwarts now, which means I'm safe-_

I stopped the thought. _No. Nowhere is._

The griffon that guarded Dumbledore's office appeared in front of me and I paused, waiting for Snape to say the password. He murmured it too quietly for me to hear and the staircase began to unravel itself from beneath the griffin's clawed feet. I climbed up the stairs, Snape beside me, my thin legs dragging themselves upwards.

The large oaken doors were already open, and Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall looked at me cautiously as I stood in the doorway. The usual peculiarities of Dumbledore's office seemed to stare at me from their positions, almost as intently as the headmaster's sky blue spectacled eyes. He sat in his chair, McGonagall standing at his side, in her crow black attire. The sparkling lights of the Pensieve danced across their complexions. It was standing in the centre of the desk, its mists lapping around mystically.

Dumbledore smiled a smile that filled me with loathing. "Miss Veil, so nice to see you again." He motioned to the chair opposite his desk. "Please, sit."

My hands tightened into fists as I slowly walked across the room and beside the chair. I glanced at the wall to my left and saw the giant piece of parchment below one of the maps of Hogwarts castle. My eyes skimmed across the lists of names until I came across the small column titled _Sphinx Squad. _My name - which had now moved above Harry's to the top – had a small red hand drawn next to it. As I looked down a few lines, I saw the same of Hermione's. However, when I blinked, both of the red blobs disappeared. I carefully lowered myself into the chair, marvelling at how comfortable it was to sit down. I tried to remember the last time I'd sat in a chair, but had difficulty.

Dumbledore began to speak and I found myself staring blankly at his calm blue eyes. "Drink this." He pushed a platter with a goblet of cherry coloured liquid towards me. "It's a nutrition potion. Raspberry flavoured – I've heard you're fond of raspberry tarts? Well, either way, it should ease your strain."

I reached out and tentatively grasped the neck of the goblet in my hand. This was the first time in three months that I hadn't had to run after a wagon for food. The goblet was heavy, or maybe my wrist was too thin? I poured the liquid into my mouth, relishing the succulent taste that washed over my tongue. After my first mouthful, my stomach felt full, and it was as if my body had been relieved of pain. He was right; I did love raspberry. I drained the goblet, feeling better than I had in weeks – physically, that is.

"Miss Veil," Dumbledore began sombrely but calmly. I kept my eyes locked on his face. "I realise that the past two months have been difficult for you…"

_Three months. _My jaw locked.

"…but your valiant actions and your bravery will not be forgotten." His semi-circle glasses glinted. "This may be of little compensation to you, but because of the results from the Diagon Alley mission, all galleons were deemed untrustworthy and no more lives were lost… in that aspect. Also, your time spent in the Kennels should be able to give us an overview of the inner workings of Voldemort's Death Eaters," He continued carefully.

My stomach dropped. _An overview?_

"The lives of two dozen muggleborns have been saved because of _you,_ Miss Veil. Or should I say… _General_ Veil. " Dumbledore smiled perfectly, but all I think about was how numb I felt. "Yes, your rank was originally supposed to be Colonel, but I put you up higher because of your outstanding contributions to the protection of Hogwarts and her forces." He handed me a small golden pin with the Hogwarts crest engraved into it in silver. I curled my fingers around it, feeling the prick of the pin as it dug into my skin.

"Congratulations." Dumbledore said proudly. A shiver rolled down my spine. My eyes flickered back up to meet Dumbledore's which had suddenly turned sad. "On the regard of Mr Craig and Mr Toolem…" he paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm afraid we still have no reports of their whereabouts. However, there is still hope, and we are looking for leads."

My head was swirling with Dumbledore's words. _Still hope? Craig and Toolem? But… what does he mean by overview? Does he expect me to-?_

I flicked my stare over to my name on the wall. The mark. The picture of the red hand that I'd seen when I came in. It was next to Hermione's name to, just like that time when… after she'd been captured by the Snatchers. The same. The marks had been the same.

I was shaking, uncontrollably. I could feel the eyes of the three Professors boring into me. They knew. They all knew… the entire time.

"How dare you." I whispered, my voice wavering.

Dumbledore's face twitched in confusion. "Pardon?"

"How dare you sit there and talk to me like that." My voice raised in pitch, but remained cold enough to burn. I felt hot blood trickling down from my hand, because I was gripping the pin too hard. "You – who knew where I was the whole time and didn't do a thing about it!"

He closed his eyes momentarily and sighed. "Miss Veil…"

"NO!" His eyelids flashed open at my burst of fury. "You sit there on your throne, commanding your _child army _to fill out your dirty work, and expect me to listen to _you!" _I snapped. I pushed myself forward so he would look me in the eye.

"I… was promised a way back," I whispered. "you… left me there - alone."The tears were falling down my face. "I knew the risks. I understood that danger was inevitable. But I was left there! With _no _way of return!" My eyes widened. "Not even a message. Would it have been so fucking difficult to send a patronus my way, telling me how I could get back?!" I wiped the tears from my eyes, leaving a splash of blood across my cheek.

Dumbledore spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact. "Miss Veil… I know that-"

"-You _don't_ know." I spat. "You will never know what I went through in that…" I stifled a sob. "In that Kennel… there is nothing. There is no life… no _emotion." And I don't want to hide my emotions any more. _ "Everyone is just - empty." _And I'm sick of being empty. _"It's hell." I glared at Dumbledore, feeling angrier than I'd ever felt. "I dragged myself from hell and you ask for my _analysis?!_ For my _overview?! _I am not your spy anymore!" I yelled. "If you want to know of the inner-workings in that hell-hole – _then see it for yourself!"_ I placed my finger on my cheek, and picked up a silvery tear, swimming with memory. With one swift flick, I dropped it into the swirling bowl of the Pensieve and felt the space around me spin as the magic of the Pensieve took effect.

_My head throbbed painfully from where I'd been struck. Turns out that there was a certain level of expectation for the girls who scrubbed the Stage floor. Obviously a vast area had to be cleaned, and vigorously, even though you were only using a toothbrush. _

_The sun was well and truly set, and my stomach groaned longingly. It had been an eventful day. The quill was still deposited neatly in my tunic, the feather had tickled my skin as I's scrubbed. It had been incredibly irritating, but worth the feeling of triumph. One step closer. _

_A chill wind brushed a lock of hair away from my shoulder and over my cheek. I shivered. I was only now aware of just how alone I was. None of the Death Eaters bothered to walk the dozen or so girls back to their individual Kennels, and had retired to their quarters. I'd considered an escape attempt, but knew that I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the Storage Room this early in the night. Besides, I needed to get my map completed first, so I could have a better understanding of where the guards are posted. _

_The stench of the Pile reached my nostrils, and I bit my lip as I walked past. For months I'd been here, and I still didn't believe that I'd ever get used to that sickening heap. _

_I heard a noise behind me._

_It was only for a moment, but my heart sank as my mind flashed over the possibilities. An enemy? I remembered back to what Copper had told me when I asked how she'd gotten her scar and spun around, frantically searching the darkness. _

_But it wasn't a Death Eater I saw. Nor a Snatcher._

"_H-help me…"_

_I looked down at my feet, gut twisting in horror. The woman was probably about thirty five, with brown hair and wide, desperately dark and sunken eyes. She was crying… and she was dying. She had dragged herself a few feet away from the Pile where she had been dumped. The wound in her stomach was so deep that I could see vital organs bleeding out onto the dirt, and seeping into the cloth of her toga. _

"_P-p-please… hel…p."_

_My mouth hung open, and my whole body froze. Her breath was becoming more rapid and scarce, just like mine. She shakily reached out an arm, her fingers trembling as if she was beckoning for me to come closer. All I could hear was my heart thudding in my chest, so I couldn't make out what she was trying to say to me. But I knew. _

_Her eyes were dwindling on their final spark of life and her mouth opened once more in appeal. "Pl-please…"_

_I knew I wouldn't be able to handle this. I could feel deep within that if I stayed here with this woman as she died, I wouldn't be able to move on. The experience would haunt me, and I wouldn't be able to stay sane._

_So I turned my back and walked away._

When I came to I was back in Dumbledore's office. McGonagall had a hand to her throat, eyes red and puffy. Snape was looking down at me with an expression I couldn't read. Dumbledore had his fingers splayed over his temples and was staring down at his desk, eyes wide open. I stood up, knees shaking and slowly walked towards the door.

I paused at the doorway. "In regards to Craig and Toolem, I know where they are. If the Snatchers ever caught people who weren't muggleborns they killed them." I turned my head slightly, so Dumbledore could see my expression of disgust. "You can tell their families that you let them die for the greater good."

For some reason, as I said this, Dumbledore's head flicked up.

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After I'd immersed myself in the soothing hot water of the Prefect's Baths, cleansed myself of blood and grime and shampooed my long blonde hair, I made my way back to the Room of Requirement. When I walked in the door, one of the Healers guided me to a bed. He examined my condition, marking notes on his clipboard and handed me a nutrition potion. This one was pineapple flavoured. I sipped at it idly, leaning back into the plush pillows of the bed and stretching my legs.

The moment I'd left Dumbledore's sight, I'd sobbed quietly to myself in a corner, desperately trying to remember where the Prefect's Bathroom was. A trick that my mother had taught me as a child had randomly spurned into my head. "_Now Ryuu, the only way we can move on from sadness is to wash the tears away." _My mother would then smile beautifully. _"People underestimate the excellence of a nice hot bath." _

Of course, she was right. I felt refreshed, and my eyelids were finding it more and more difficult to keep themselves open. However, I forced myself to stay awake. The most a nutrition potion could do, was restore me to an ample state of health, so I could eat properly after having been starved for so long. My mouth was watering for food. Classic, _muggle _food.

"Excuse me," I asked the Healer. His light green eyes lifted from his clipboard. "Is there any chance I could eat some pasta?" I asked in my politest tone.

The Healer smiled in amusement. "Of course, General. I'll have the elves look into it."

_General. _I blinked dumbly. _Does everyone know who I am? _Well, that was new…

The Healer placed his clipboard at the end of my bed. "Well, despite your chronic loss of weight and general battering, you're in a pretty good state." He motioned towards the cup in my hands. "Drink up. I'll get Tonks over here to help you." He signalled across the room and walked away. I barely had time to register what he'd said before a streak of canary yellow rushed towards me.

"Whoa, Ryuu! You're _alive?" _Tonks exclaimed.

"The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated," I replied. I noted Tonk's green robes, signifying her status as a Healer. She'd added decoration however, an array of brightly coloured badges with slogans such as: _Rights for Werewolves, S.P.E.W _and _Hufflepuff Head Girl – 1990. _My gaze slid down to her stomach, which I was surprised to see was perfectly flat. "How's the baby?"

Tonks blushed, her hair corresponding. "He's perfect, just perfect. He caught the metamorphous gene." Her brown eyes widened. "Do you want to see him?"

I nodded, and Tonks trotted away. I drank the last mouthful of my nutrition potion, looking down at my legs. Maybe they had gotten wider since I'd arrived, but I couldn't be sure. They were still incredibly thin, though. I shuddered. It disturbed me to see my body so bony. I'd always been petite, but this was different. I almost felt as if my bones would snap at the slightest pressure.

I looked around the Hospital Wing. The summer sunlight was miraculously drifting through the large space (an architectural mystery seeing as we were inside the Room of Requirement). Beds lined the walls, and I was pleased to see that there were barely any Cats seeking treatment. However, all twenty six of the previous slaves were being stitched up, bandaged or drinking nutrition potions. I spied Copper (I still couldn't think of her as Roslyn) and Jonah standing near a corner. Kingsley Shacklebolt was chatting with Copper, and as I watched the tall dark woman motioned in my direction. Kingsley looked over at me and nodded. Confused, I returned the gesture amiably, wondering what they were talking about.

I glanced over to Hermione, who was a few beds away from myself. She was blinking the tears out of her eyes as five Healers crowded around her lower half, working quickly and quietly. Suddenly, Hermione shrieked and one of the Healers moved up next to her head and placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering words of comfort.

Tonks returned with the pudgy pink babe in her arms. To my surprise she placed him on my lap, wrapped in his cotton blankets. I quickly scooped him into my grasp, making sure I was supporting his head properly. I'd never held a baby before, but I'd seen my mother do it in hospital a few times. I looked down at the child, and couldn't help but smile. He had the same brown eyes as Tonks, and bright purple hair.

"He's about five weeks old now. Remus insisted that I go somewhere safe to take care of Ted." Tonks prattled on. "But I didn't want to leave Remus here, so I argued and argued with him, and eventually he agreed that I could stay here. I still wanted to help out though, so I thought I'd be a Healer for a while. I already had some basic training as an Auror, so…" Tonks smiled, looking at her son.

I followed her stare and noticed with surprise that Ted was still looking up at me, except now his eyes had changed to an emerald green, and his short crop of hair transformed into a long sprout of blonde curls. He smiled and reached out a small chubby hand to grab at a ringlet of my hair.

"He has a habit of doing that." Tonks explained, amused at my startled expression.

After Tonks had returned young Ted to his crib, she treated the sores on my feet and hands with an avocado coloured salve that smelled like new paper. The cream stung slightly, but once it had dried, the skin on my hands looked as if it had barely been damaged. If I looked really closely, I could see a faint outline of the gash that had sliced across my right palm, but it was practically invisible. Tonks bottled up some of the salve and told me to keep it for "other places" - her hair blushed scarlet as she said this. Next, she inspected the lashes on my back, wincing as she saw them. She fetched a mortar and pestle and ground up a mahogany coloured pebble into a powder, which she carefully dabbed into the cuts. "These might leave a bit of a mark, nothing _too_ noticeable though."

By the time she had finished, the Healer with the green eyes had returned with a bowl of pasta and a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Tonks gave me a small bag of leaves that tasted like sour milk. "Chew on these, and your muscles should stop aching," she explained. They were truly disgusting, so once both of them had left I mixed them into my pasta, and ate them that way. The dish was a traditional fettuccine alfredo pasta, and although it was delicious, it didn't come close to my father's recipe. I was just poring myself a glass of pumpkin juice, when I heard my name.

"_Ryuu!" _

My head snapped up so violently that I nearly spilled my pumpkin juice. Zach was running towards me, Dennis struggling to keep up. I grinned at them, one thought circulating through my mind. _They're alive. _Zach tripped and skidded along the floor to kneel beside my bed. He grabbed my hand and wrapped his arms around it, and to my utter amazement I saw he was crying.

"Ryuu, oh I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! If I'd have known – I'm so sorry Ryuu. You're alive, thank Merlin you're alive! Ryuu, I can't – I'm so – you're _alive!"_

His words spilled out of his mouth in a barely tangible babble. I opened my mouth and closed it again, trying to come up with a reaction, but all I could manage was: "Zach."

Dennis sat on the bed, deep brown eyes glistening. "You kept your promise," was all he said.

I felt the breath go out of me as I stared at the both of them. My friends. My brothers. The two people in this entire school who knew everything about me.

I leaned forward and enveloped Den in a hug, his freakishly strong arms tightening around me. I kept my hand reaching down to Zach, who stood up and continued saying; "You're alive, you're alive, Ryuu…"

Once Dennis and I had unfurled and Zach had regained some of his composure – although tears were still streaming down his face – I recounted everything that had happened since I'd left Hogwarts for the galleon mission. I realised as I was speaking that I hadn't relayed this information to anyone, but it seemed perfectly natural that I tell Zach and Den. They were the only ones I actually wanted to talk to. Dennis listened on with his mouth agape, auburn eyes taking in every detail. Zach kept a firm grip on my hand, flicking his dark hair from his golden gaze, and wiping the tears away from his cheeks.

Once I'd finished speaking I turned to Zach and began my questions. "How did you manage to escape the Snatchers?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea. I just… ran. I mean, I knew I could run pretty fast, but – I thought I was dead for sure." He lowered his voice slightly, eyes glazing over in memory. "One of the Snatchers caught up to me, but as I reached the forest I climbed a tree and waited for her to run underneath me. I dropped on her, stole her wand and apperated away."

My eyes widened. "You _apperated?"_

He nodded, solemnly. "I was panicking, but I managed to remember the theory we'd studied in fifth year. It was tricky, but I was scared enough that it worked and I ended up a few miles away, inside a hollow log." He smiled grimly. "I'm certainly not an expert at it though, I splinched myself a bit." He rolled up the black sleeve of his Cat uniform to show me an untidily stitched up gash running from his shoulder to his elbow.

I shook my head in disbelief. Zach had been terrified, but somehow he'd spontaneously come up with a quick and effective plan to escape. "That was _really_ clever, Zach." I smirked. "I must be rubbing off on you."

He scoffed in his classic Zacharias Smith manner. "Let the Grim take me if that starts happening." Dennis laughed at that, and didn't stop when I threw him an icy glare.

Zach continued. "I stalked around the area of the Kennel for about a week, looking for a way that I could've possibly have broken in." He sighed. "It was impenetrable. The shields were covered in specific protective enchantments – it would've taken a professional to have broken them."

"You shouldn't have stayed there, Zach." I said fiercely. "You could've been killed."

He looked at me angrily. "What, did you expect me to just leave you there?" I didn't reply. "Anyway, after a while I knew that I couldn't possibly break into that place alone. So, I trekked back to Hogwarts and came back in the same way I came out."

I raised an eyebrow, and he leaned closer to whisper into my ear. "I found a secret passageway into the Hogwarts grounds through the Shrieking Shack. I had to dodge a few Death Eater groups to get there, but no one noticed me." His voice returned to a normal pitch. "Good thing I did that to, because Dumbledore isn't letting anyone in and out of the shields – well, except you." His yellow eyes spoke the hidden question, but I didn't want to talk about it.

"But, the day after Zach returned…" Dennis began, looking down at the sheets, "Dumbledore announced that the Galleon Mission had been a failure. He told us that he'd also received reports saying that a mass number of muggleborns being used for slavery had been killed."

I gulped, twiddling my fingers. "And my name was on the list of casualties?"

Both of them nodded, and I felt a surge of empathy as I saw the looks on their faces. I tried to imagine how I would've reacted to hearing their names being called out in the obituaries, but couldn't bring myself to even think it.

"We had a grave made for you next to Luna's…" Dennis said in a small voice.

A silence fell. I bit my lip. Dumbledore knew I was alive, yet told everyone I was dead. I felt a shiver at the base of my neck. Was I just a piece to him? Did he believe that I wasn't worth risking an attack on a Kennel? Perhaps. And logically, that was fair. The life of one can't be held above the lives of others. If he had sent in a squad or two to rescue Hermione and myself, they probably would've died trying. But still… to tell everyone that I had died? That was twisted. I wondered how Ron had reacted to Hermione's "death".

While Zach went to fetch me a hospital gown – I was sick of wearing the slave toga – I poured myself another glass of pumpkin juice and studied Dennis as I sipped. "So," I eventually began, "how are you and Zach doing?"

He seemed to catch on to my meaning, because his cheeks slowly reddened and he raised a hand to push back his sandy blonde hair. "Well, um.. we - err…" He cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact and I was quickly reminded of the shy stutter that Dennis used to have.

I smiled and asked, "How are your parents taking it?"

Seeing as Den's cheeks had adopted the colour of tomatoes, I hadn't thought it possible for them to turn redder. I was wrong. "They were surely… surprised." He managed. "But I think they're okay with it." He slumped his shoulders and sighed. "But it isn't Zach that's a problem. It's me."

I raised my eyebrows. "O-kay... listen Den, I'm really happy for you guys and everything – but I'd be uncomfortable if you told me any… details."

"Oh, no!" Dennis's eyes had turned to that of a puppy dogs. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just-" he sighed again. "Everyone knows that the next Raid is going to be the biggest one yet." I narrowed my eyes and nodded. It was true, that a tension was in the air. The year was nearly at an end, and I had a hunch that the last battle was nigh. "And, I'm not good at spells." Dennis slumped even further. "In fact, I'm useless." He said in a defeated tone.

"That's not true." I chimed in instantly. He looked at me with a pleading expression. "So, maybe you're not the best at offensive spells, but you can produce a hell of a shield, Den."

"…Really?"

"Yes." I assured him, as I lifted my glass of pumpkin juice to my mouth. "I've seen it. All you'd have to do is knock people onto their backs."

"But, how?" he asked.

I smirked, holding my cup a little higher. "Mid-sentence attacks. One of my favourite techniques. No one ever expects you to make a move when-" I threw my pumpkin juice into Dennis's face. He blinked in surprise as the liquid trickled down his neck.

"See what I mean?" I said.

He nodded, and grinned as he wiped his face with his sleeve. At that moment, the door opened and Harry and Ron burst into the room. I watched their desperate expressions whisk over the walls until their eyes fell on Hermione. They hurried to her side. "Please sir, you mustn't touch her!" snapped a female Healer with caramel skin and ebony hair. Ron's hand stopped inches away from Hermione's face. "She's in a magically induced comatose state, but she went through a lot of trauma. Until she wakes, the smallest physical influence could cause her to experience episodes of _pavor nocturnous._"

Ron stared at the woman as if she had just asked him what the square root of pi was. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Could we please have a minute with her?" Harry asked the Healer nicely.

"As long as you don't touch her." The woman chirped as she bustled away.

Ron sat by Hermione's side, staring at her missing legs and covering his mouth with his hands. After a minute or so he began to whisper to her, so softly that I couldn't hear. Harry turned away, and caught sight of me. He cast a look at Ron, saw that he was almost as unresponsive as Hermione and walked over to stand beside me.

"Hi." I said awkwardly.

"Hi." Although his response was identical, he sounded completely natural.

At that moment Zach returned and placed the medical gown at the foot of my bed. He looked at Harry, and then at me, and was just about to open his mouth and say something rude when Dennis interrupted.

"Zach and I were just leaving." He tugged Zach's sleeve and motioned towards the door.

Thankfully, Zach got the message. In a matter of steps he approached me once more, wrapped his arms around me for a brief hug and pulled back. "Get well, Ryuu," he said simply before he walked off.

Harry took the seat next to my bed. "Admirers of yours?"

I smiled. "Old friends," I tilted my head towards Hermione and Ron. "How's he taking it?"

Harry mussed up his already messy hair. "I think he's just glad she's alive."

"I think he's not the only one." I replied.

Harry glanced at me with his brilliant green eyes. His entire face looked different from when I had left. He looked older, as if the war had turned him into the Man Who Lived, rather than the Boy. Although, that had happened to a lot of us, I reasoned. _Me? _I frowned. A part of me still felt like a small blonde girl with green eyes. And at other times…

"Harry," I began carefully. He regarded me with his full attention. "If it's not too much to ask… do you think you could defeat Voldemort?"

His brow lowered. "What?"

"I would really like him to die." I said simply.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "And you expect me to kill him. Just like that?"

"Well, of course not _just like that._ I just think that if anyone should be the one to do it, it should be you."

Harry shook his head. "That is the strangest way anyone has ever asked me to be the Chosen One."

"I'm not saying that you're the Chosen One!" Damn, whenever I talked to this guy our conversation always seems to delve into the depths of Bollocks Lagoon… I tucked a curl behind my ear. _That sounds like something my Dad would say. _"I don't think all of that prophecy stuff is real, do you? I just think that you've had the most experience in battling him, and that you have the strongest motives and well… everyone already thinks that you should be the one to do it anyway."

Harry was staring at me as if I'd just spontaneously combusted. "How is it that you can take someone apart with words, but when it comes to being supportive you're as useful as a mop for a Quidditch broom?"

I made my tone serious. "The final battle is coming." Harry looked down at his shoes. "Do you know _how_ you're going to kill Voldemort?" It was a question that had been niggling at me for a while, and I had a feeling that Harry knew the answer. From the events of fifth year, when Voldemort was using Harry's mind – it was clear that he and Voldemort shared some kind of connection. Just the thought made a sinister feeling squirm in my stomach. However, some people often didn't see things because they're too close to it.

Harry shifted closer and lowered his voice, staring at his shoelaces. "Ron and I have come up with an _almost plan."_

"An _almost plan?"_ I adopted a nonchalant look on my face so that people watching us wouldn't think anything suspicious.

"An almost plan: we have ideas, but nothing organised." Harry explained.

"Okay, what's the almost plan?" I pretended to be adjusting my sheets, but kept my ear open to Harry's mutterings.

"Voldemort's weaknesses are scarce but huge. Firstly, he doesn't see value in human life. This makes him a threat, but not just to us, to his Death Eaters as well."

"Good observation."

Harry untied the Gryffindor tie from his waist and re-tied it once more. "Secondly, he fears Dumbledore. And lastly, but most importantly, he is incapable of love."

I paused in my sheet-straightening and looked into Harry's eyes. "What?"

"Oh," Harry regarded me with innocent eyes, "didn't you know that?"

"No." _Voldemort can't feel love? That is… _I shook my head to clear it.

"Well, that's certainly his most obvious weakness." Harry confided.

"So that's the one you should target."

"Exactly what Ginny said last night," Harry replied unthinkingly. When he caught my raised eyebrow he cleared his throat and continued. "Ron and I talked about using love against him, and then I remembered one of the effects of the _priori incantatem."_

"Uh-huh." I said, although I had no idea what he was talking about. I tightened the leather strap connected to my wand around my wrist.

"So, maybe if I did that with Voldemort, the same thing that happened in fourth year would happen again."

"Scientifically speaking, if the conditions are identical then it's likely the same result will occur." I added.

Harry paused, and then the recognition hit him. "Yeah! So, that means that once again, the wraiths of my parents will come out of Voldemort's wand, and, like Dumbledore told me, they're literal embodiments of love, remember?"

I nodded, uncomprehending. I started to get the inclination that seeing as Hermione was in a coma, Harry just needed another female figure to bounce ideas off.

"Because in that graveyard their only motivation was to help me escape, because…" he paused, "well, because my parents loved me. So if we could somehow cause this effect not only with Voldemort, but with his Death Eaters as well, then perhaps we could immobilise him for just a second…"

"A second is all you'll need."

"Right." Harry's whispers were becoming more urgent now. "But that kind of magic takes an immense amount of power. We'd need half the wizards in England to do that…"

I stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Uh, Harry? We do have half the wizards in England. All it would take is a simple bit of organisation to get everyone in the same place at the same time."

Harry's head flicked up and he stared at me with a shine of wonderment in his eyes. His mouth opened slightly and he blinked once, twice, three times. "I- I need to go talk to Ron!" he babbled. He threw his arms around my neck, ignoring my shriek of shock. "Thanks Hermione!" he said as he hurried away.

"It's Ryuu." I said blankly as I watched Harry drag Ron through the door and out of the Hospital Wing. I leaned back into my pillow, my brain ticking over everything that Harry had just thrown at me. I hadn't understood anything about that _priori incantatem_ stuff, or the wraiths? What was all that about? However, it looked like what I'd said had given him an epiphany.

I smiled. _Did I just solve the war?_

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Draco

I couldn't bring out the Rubick's Cube while the guard was here.

I had lodged it behind a brick in the floor early in the morning, before he had entered for his morning shift. Today, he'd felt like giving me breakfast. Perhaps he was in a better mood than last time. _Last time…_ my hands shook, but I quickly closed them into fists.

I returned my mind to her. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since the Rubick's Cube had been given to me. I'd managed to narrow down the possibilities to two options.

One; Ryuu wanted to talk to me but couldn't.

Two; She was mocking me… once again.

I thought back to her cruel smile in Umbridge's office and sighed. _Who is she?_ It was clear to me now that from the moment she had walked into that train compartment, I'd been struggling to figure out who she was and what she wanted. What elements of her were real, and what were the falsehoods used to deceive me?

I paused in my contemplation as I noticed that the guard was reaching for his wand. I held my breath, preparing the muscles in my body…

But he just adjusted its position in his pocket.

I breathed out and closed my eyes, taking my mind away from the smell of dampness and the weight of darkness. Ryuu Advena Veil. Enigma of the century. Her heritage and upbringing, that was definitely real. Her aptitude at magic, obviously real; I'd seen the evidence. Based on that alone, I wouldn't imagine that she'd have non-magical parents. But of course she did, yes her muggleborn blood was real. Anyone could see that in the way she still held her head high despite what Slytherin did to her. Muggleborn… and proud.

Her face, was that real? I searched my memory but it was difficult to tell. She'd always be quick to compose herself, even when I caught her by surprise. But her eyes… they were different. In Diagon Alley they'd looked terrified. Sometimes I'd catch her eyes like that after I'd kissed her. I'd assumed she was just shy but… maybe the real Ryuu was scared a lot of the time.

Not that either Ryuu would admit that.

I pivoted my wrists under the shackles, wincing as the chafed skin scratched under the rusty iron. I leaned my head against the wall. Not that it mattered. Ryuu was Ryuu, and she knew what she was doing all along. Even so…

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Ryuu

Seeing as I was feeling up for a walk, I decided that I'd leave the Hospital Wing and visit my room for the first time in months. The hospital. gown I was wearing was incredibly scratchy, and I was eager to slip into a pair of my own clothes. I stood outside the door to the Prefects Common Room for a while, awkwardly hoping it would open. I stared at the handle and pulled the General's badge from my pocket. It was smaller than my Prefect's badge had been, but it was worth a shot. I pressed the face of the badge into the centre of the wall, and to my luck the door lit up and opened.

I walked up to my room, surprised when I saw the door open. Everything was as I had left it; the wardrobe, the curtains, my bed neatly made. I almost expected to find a platter with a pitcher of hot chocolate on it from Tibbli.

_Except…_ I reminded myself.

My eyes locked on to my bedside table where sat a framed photo of my mother and I. Gingerly, I picked it up and stared down at my mother's face. Dad was right, we could be twins if not for our colouring.

"_Meow."_

I turned to the doorway to see the familiar auburn fuzz of Dusk. He plodded over to me and jumped into my outstretched arms, purring. "Hey there, boy. You miss me?" His response was a blink of his honey coloured eyes. After a minute or so of cuddling him close, I placed him on top of the mantelpiece, started an emerald fire with my wand and opened my wardrobe doors. I picked up a pile of clothes from the bottom of the cupboard and rifled through them. A knitted sweater, underwear, pyjamas, one of Draco's shirts; I paused as I saw my Cat uniform. The material was woven with protective magic, and I felt I should put it on but it was incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in.

I quickly slipped on my pyjamas – a pair of loose fitting long black leggings and a baggy grey shirt. I draped my fluffy green dressing gown over my shoulders. I slid my wand under my sleeve and grabbed my knife from my hospital gown and slid it into a deep pocket of my trousers. For some reason, I felt safer with it on me. I brushed my teeth and cut my hair with the _Diffindo_ charm so it reached my shoulders. I was just picking up the rest of my clothes to put them away when I heard a knock on my door. I threw the clothes into my wardrobe and the doors snapped shut with a flick of my wand. "Come in."

Ronald Weasley waited in the doorway, looking taller than ever and with a slight ginger stubble on his chin. I wet my lips. "Hi."

"Hi," he didn't have Harry's easy going conversational tone – like me. He entered, looking around my room in curiosity and jumping when Dusk pawed at his boot.

"He won't bite," I assured.

Ron sat on my bed and Dusk hopped up onto his lap. He carefully placed a hand on Dusk's back and petted him from head to tail. "I've never had much luck with cats."

I sat down beside him. "I've seen worse than you."

Ron's ocean blue eyes looked over at me. "I came to thank you."

I shifted uncomfortably. I'd sensed this was coming. Knowing me, I'd say something strange. Even after all I'd been through with Harry, Ron and Hermione, I couldn't think of them as really close friends. I enjoyed their company well enough, but I found it much more simpler to talk to Zach and Dennis than the famous golden trio.

"You saved her. You could've left her, but you rescued her."

"I wouldn't have left her. Not there." Somewhere in my mind, I knew it was true. "How is she?"

Ron looked down at his hands. "She woke up a while ago. Told us everything that happened…" he drifted off, lips tight. "She keeps telling us that she doesn't want prosthetics. She doesn't like the idea of them. Even if it means that she won't be able to walk again."

I curled my fingers into my palms, feeling tension form in my shoulders. "Well, perhaps she could use a wheelchair. She could enchant it so it was much more manageable than muggle wheelchairs…" I trailed off as I watched the inner conflict in Ron's eyes."She mentioned you." I burst out suddenly. Ron looked up, face blank. "She asked how you were. I think while she was in that place… you were one of the thoughts that kept her alive."

Ron didn't respond.

"You love her, don't you?" I asked him quietly.

For a long time he paused. Just when I was about to demand an answer from him he looked me in the eye and said, "Of course." I was struck by his simplicity, and couldn't help but feel a deep pang in my chest. I blinked the pain away and continued.

"Then, you need to tell her. Because right now, she is scared and in a lot of pain, and she needs _you_ there with her."

Ron nodded and stood up. "I know that, I just…" he looked at me with eyes that were cloaked. "needed to say thank you, for everything."

I narrowed my eyes at his odd demeanour. "You're welcome." I stood up and went over to my dresser, tying my hair up behind me and pinning my General badge to my chest.

"Ryuu."

I turned around, regarding Ron. He stood with his feet too close together and his hands by his sides, palms facing inwards. _He has an issue that needs to be confronted, it's personal and clashes with his normal way of dealing with things. _"Yes?"

"Because you gave Hermione back to me, I think that… I feel I should return the favour."

I froze. His tone; I'd heard this voice before. _What does he mean, return the favour?_

"He came about two and a half months ago – or at least that's what I've heard. Apparently he tried to surrender, and asked to join Hogwarts's forces."

The back of my neck prickled and I felt my heart rate quicken. My fingers brushed the tip of my wand handle. "Ron, what are you talking about?" My voice sounded dangerously calm.

"But Dumbledore ordered him to be locked up in the dungeons, and they've been keeping him there ever since."

I stepped forward so I could look directly at his strained face. "Who is it, Ron? Tell me his name." Ron's blue eyes wavered, and his voice was a tad meek.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

I turned and ran out the door.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was searching. _

_She rifled through her draws, carefully looking under each fold of clothing and loose scrap of paper. "Where is it?" she muttered to herself. _

_She turned to her wardrobe and stepped inside, careful not to let the doors close behind her. She felt around in the dark, but couldn't identify its texture. "Humph," she said as she stepped back out into her bedroom. _

_Her emerald eyes scanned the area until they fell onto the small space under her bed. She dropped to her knees, peering below the mattress. "Aha!" she said as she caught sight of it, and scurried below on her belly like a snake. _

_When she was close enough she reached out, grabbed a hold of it, and didn't let go until she'd pulled it out with her. _

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A/N: Ooooh shit is about to go down. For anyone who didn't realise, that scene that was re-lived in the Pensieve (the magical effect I created earlier in the story) took place near the end of Chapter 18 – The Horse and the Map; when Ryuu is returning to her Kennel at night on the day her and Copper stole the quill and parchment. Just to be clear.


	44. Chapter 22 - Dragons

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello again! I would've posted yesterday, but I was a bit busy gettin' back to Hogwarts – (more like watching countless episodes of Supernatural and AVPSY on my laptop because my internet was broken.) But, keep your non-existent balls in order – shit is about to get more serious. Also, thank you anonymous Guest for your review; you know who you are.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 22 – Dragons

Ryuu

"_Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."_

_He's here._

I dashed with only one motive, racing across halls and flying up stair cases.

_Dumbledore knew. That bastard, he was keeping him there. _

People jumped out of my path as I tore through the castle, hair flying behind me and slippers slapping on the stone floors.

_He surrendered. Ron said he surrendered. Why would he do that?_

I nearly tripped over as I slid around a corner, but propelled myself back up again, sprinting down the corridor. I was almost there.

_What am I doing? Why can't I stop thinking about Diagon Alley?_

I rounded a corner. The griffin statue was in my sights.

_He told me to run. I did. And I still am. _

I came to a stumbling halt in front of the griffin, the sight of it reminding me how angry I was. "DUMBLEDORE!" I screamed at it, and the staircase miraculously began to untangle itself, more swiftly than I'd ever seen it before. I raced up the stairs and burst into Dumbledore's office, instantly making eye contact with the old man I felt no mercy for. "You son of a _bitch!" _I hissed from the doorway.

McGonagall looked up from the parchment she was studying in shock. Snape, who I assumed would be here, was nowhere to be seen. Dumbledore remained seated at his desk, regarding me calmly. "Yes, General?"

"_You locked him up?!" _I screamed in rage. "He surrendered and you locked him in the dungeons?!"

Dumbledore's face went soft. "Ahh… I believe you're referring to the young Mr. Malfoy?"

"Keeping anyone else down there in your museum of captives?" I snapped.

Dumbledore stood, walked past McGonagall, who looked like a stunned fish, and admired the view from the window. "Mr. Malfoy was detained for questioning , as well as the fact that he is a threat to the castle."

"The only threat to the castle is you!" I raised my wand.

"_Expelliarmus!" _McGonagall fired instantly, and my wand slipped from my palm and dangled from the leather cord. "Calm yourself, Miss Veil."

"Release him!" My voice rang with so much command, that Dumbledore turned his head to look at me. I felt every fibre of my body tense as his blue stare met my green one. "If he offered himself to you then he is a POW and under the laws of the Geneva Convention cannot be locked up in a cell, and treated with any less humanity than your other troops. If you have so much as laid a finger of harm on him, you have broken that protocol!"

"Bombarding me with muggle restrictions will not make you any more correct, General." Dumbledore said simply, as I shook with anger. "Mr. Malfoy is a Death Eater, and is therefore a danger to the livelihood of everyone in the castle. If he is somehow reporting information back to Lord Voldemort-"

"-How could he be when he's trapped in the dark with no wand?" I interrupted.

"The fact remains," Dumbledore continued without so much as a flinch. "That Mr. Malfoy cannot be released." His voice bled with finality.

But I wasn't done yet. I balled my hands into fists. "His _name_ is Draco!" I yelled at the old man. "And if you won't release him, I'll just do it myself!"

Before either of them could stop me, I turned on my heel and sprinted back out the doorway, jumping down the stairs, and dashed down the hall heading for the dungeons. My heart pounded in my ears. I'd never known I could run this fast. I knew that McGonagall and Dumbledore were miles behind me. They were old and slow, but not even Zach could've levelled with me now, not while I was this furious. _How dare he! It's illegal! It- shouldn't happen. Not to Draco._

I practically fell down the stairs leading into the Dungeons. I paused for a second in the main cavern, looking along the walls, before I spied it. The door to the Dark Cells, it was slightly open. _So that's where they're keeping him. _As a cruel joke in first year, Pansy Parkinson had once pushed me inside the doorway of the Dark Cells and locked the door. Naturally, I'd screamed the castle down because I couldn't see a way out, and after about a minute Snape had pulled me out by the scruff of the neck. Pansy had been in detention for weeks. But that was a long time ago. I wasn't going to let my claustrophobia get the better of me now.

The door creaked as I pushed past it and delved into the darkest bowels of Hogwarts castle. If I wasn't so frantic I would've planned each careful step I made as I went down the stairs, however now I trusted my feet to find their own way. _"Lumos,"_ I whispered, and the knot of fear in my chest loosened slightly as radiant white light filled the space. I came to the bottom of the stairs and turned into the Dark Cells.

The area was thin, consisting on only two small cells adjacent to each other on the wall opposite the doorway. The only light came from my wand and a flickering torch to my right. The smell of cold poisoned the air. Only darkness ruled in this space, and I felt how cold the floor was on my left foot. Somewhere along the line, I'd lost my slipper. My eyes adjusted and I took in the bars guarding the figure in the first cell. I took a step closer and couldn't stifle a gasp as I saw him.

Draco.

Chained to the floor and the wall behind him in rusty iron shackles, he looked up at me with those silver eyes as if he was seeing me for the first time. He was shirtless, and I could see deep bruising along his chest from being confined to this concrete box. I couldn't identify any injuries on him, but I knew better than anyone that not all torture leaves marks. His platinum hair had grown longer, and was ratty and kept falling over his eyes. His silver eyes. All he did was look at me, in such a way that my throat went dry and I felt my head spin. No. Please. Stop looking at me, I wanted to say, but all I could do was open my mouth stupidly.

"Oi. What do you think you're doing girl?!"

I dragged my eyes away from Draco's and noticed for the first time that there was a guard. One glance told me everything I needed to know about him. He was only a bit taller than me, with meaty, abusive hands curled up threateningly. He held his knobbly wand in his left hand. _He used that wand to hurt Draco,_ was all I could think. I turned my entire body around to face him, my movements feeling slow and sluggish.

"Dumbledore told me to inform you that this prisoner is to be released immediately." My tone sounded robotic.

The guard shook his head and motioned for me to leave. "Sorry Blondie, but I can only take orders from Dumbledore directly."

"He gave me _explicit_ orders." I replied sternly.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to-" his voice stopped as he noticed the golden badge on my breast.

I took my chance, walking forward so he was forced to retreat closer to the wall. "I'm General Veil of the Sphinx Squad. I'll be needing your name and rank."

The man's face took a moment to decide before he straightened himself up and saluted. "My apologies, General. Brix. Cymric Squad."

"Now, Brix. I'll be needing you to release this prisoner." My fingers twitched.

Brix looked from my stern face to the cell and back again. "I'm sorry but even someone of your rank doesn't have authority over Dumbledore. General."

My fingers twitched again. "I see." Before he could react, I pulled the knife from my pocket and flung myself against him. With one sharp stab, I drove the blade into the wall, inside a gap between to stone bricks; inches away from Brix's face. The man whimpered as he saw the sheen of the knife's blade glint next to his ear.

"Listen to me, very carefully." I said, my tone slicing like ice. "I have just spent the last three months locked up in a Kennel, and I will be _damned-_" I slammed the blade further into the wall, and Brix called out in fear "-if this young man is kept in that cell any longer. If we are going to keep a teenager who surrendered to us locked up in chains, than what the _hell-"Slam_ "-makes us any different from them?!"

I heard footsteps at the door, but didn't take my eyes away from Brix. McGonagall gasped and I felt an arm encircle my waist and begin to drag me back. "No!" I yelled as I was pulled away from Brix and my hand slid from the knife lodged into the wall. I kicked the slipper from my right foot, caught it in my hand and whacked at the arm holding me. "Let us go!"

"Severus, that's quite enough," said the smoothed voice of Albus Dumbledore.

The arm loosened and I slid to the floor, slipper falling from my hand. Brix was wheezing in fright, still propped up against the wall. McGonagall hurried over to him and offered him a hand. Snape looked down at me, his hooked nose never looking more pronounced. Dumbledore stood in the doorway, looking on at the scene with his usual passively interested face. I heard a clink of chains from my left and whipped my head around to look through the bars. Draco was standing, knees half bent so that the chains wouldn't trip him over. He'd moved as close as he could to the bars. I scrambled to my feet in an attempt to look at him eye-to-eye. It didn't work, because I was so obscenely short, but he still kept looking at me with the same expression.

I repressed a shiver and turned around to meet Dumbledore. "Release him."

Dumbledore hesitated, his eyes slightly wide and his lips parted as he looked between Draco and myself. "What's the magic word?"

_Crucio? _"Please." I wasn't yelling anymore.

Snape cast Dumbledore a long glance that the old man only returned for a moment. Dumbledore nodded, and Snape moved past me, and began to mutter incantations at the bars of Draco's cell.

I let forth a breath of relief and quickly walked out of the Dark Cells, and back up into the main cavern. I leaned against the wall, breathing deeply and closing my eyes for a moment, trying to take in what had just happened. _You threatened to curse Dumbledore, then attacked a soldier and freed a Death Eater. Nice job, Ryuu. _

"Sherbet lemon?"

I span around to see that Dumbledore was standing beside me, chewing on a yellow candy and offering me a small paper bag. _What does he think this is, some kind of joke? _"No thanks," I spat.

At that, he looked more puzzled than I'd seen him all day, which was completely mind-blowing. He soon shrugged it off, however and continued in a conversational manner.

"Did you know that in the Greek tongue, the word _draco_ translates to mean 'the serpent'; however in Latin, it's the word for 'dragon'?" He chimed.

I looked at him with scorn. "And what has that got to do with anything?" I snapped.

"I don't know; everything?" Dumbledore shrugged and helped himself to another sherbet lemon.

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Draco

The sky.

For the first time in months I looked out at the sky, which was starting to transition into dusk. I leaned against the window sill, breathing in the crisp afternoon air. I'd trimmed my hair so it didn't obscure my vision, and the slight gusts of wind were drying it. A quiet calm settled over the grounds of Hogwarts, stilling everything in anticipation for the oncoming storm.

It was getting closer.

I pulled back from the window and flicked my wand at the pewter cauldron at my desk. A white fire burst into life and began to crackle underneath it, causing the apple flavoured nutrition potion inside to bubble. It felt right to have a wand in my hand again. I'd attuned to it so easily. From the moment Dumbledore had returned my belongings, I'd picked up my wand and known exactly where it fitted into my hand, just like the day I'd first held it when I was six. The headmaster had barely said a word to me as I was guided from the Dungeons by McGonagall. He'd taken me to his office in which he'd returned my wand and suit jacket, made an odd remark about the Rubick's Cube I clutched in my hand, gave me a spare Ravenclaw Prefect's badge so I could access my dormitory and then sent me on my way. I'd expected more of an explanation for his sudden change of heart, but his face seemed to have returned to that of the wizened old fool.

My room hadn't been disturbed since I'd fled the castle and apperated to Malfoy Manor so many years ago. I'd left all of my belongings here, and had actually had a mental blank when I looked at my star calendar. Had it only been two months? It felt as if I'd been in the dungeons for two years.

I picked a black shirt from my wardrobe (for some reason my white one was missing) and buttoned it over my chest. I promptly rolled down the sleeves to cover the twisting dark mark on my right forearm. I was just adjusting my collar, when my eyes slid over to the two objects resting on my bed.

The knife glinted as it caught the light. A Snatcher's knife. I'd pried it out of the wall as I'd left the dungeon, much to the startled gasps of Brix and McGonagall. Judging from the looks they gave me, it was as if they assumed I was going to stab them. However, I'd simply stuffed it in my pocket… along with the slipper.

I picked it up by the hilt, shifting the slipper aside. I judged the weight and flipped it into the air, catching it perfectly in my palm, just as I'd trained myself to. The Snatcher's knives were a tad different to the Death Eater's knives. They weren't laced with poison, and were blunter – mainly used for cutting bonds away from prisoners once they'd been delivered to a Kennel.

"_I have just spent the last three months locked up in a Kennel…"_

My jaw locked. Ryuu… was captured? I tried to imagine her in slave garb, cooking and cleaning for Malfoy Manor, just like the elves did. I closed my eyes, dropping the knife on the quilt and turning back to the cauldron. Surely she never would've served anyone like that? I stirred three times anti-clockwise, the steam tinging light green. Ryuu would put up a fight, that's what she does… but that wouldn't have done her any good either. The memory of her black eye in Diagon Alley resurfaced in my mind and my hand stopped, mid-stir. I quickly continued, watching the potion circulate in the cauldron. _What are you thinking Draco? We're in the middle of a war; of course she's gotten hurt. So have you._

I tapped my wand at the flames and they instantly extinguished. The bubbles died, and the potion settled on a misty green colour. I poured the liquid into a goblet and sipped, the rich apple flavour bursting in my mouth. I'd grabbed a few bread rolls from the Great Hall (all the while receiving stares of utter shock from the people eating lunch), but no ordinary food compared to the feeling of replenishment that potions provided.

Once again, I found myself staring at Ryuu's knife and slipper. I picked up the shoe. It was soft, lavender coloured and barely bigger than my hand. _How does her foot fit in this? _I thought in amazement. Ryuu was thin and short for her age, though. I remembered that she'd have to spring up onto the tips of her toes and I'd have to bend my knees slightly just so we could kiss.

I sank onto the bed, lying on my back and staring up at the roof. Her face in the dungeons. Eyes like green fire, cheeks flushed and mouth poised in a harsh line. Never had I seen her so emotional. Her voice had sounded as if she was tearing herself apart just to be heard. And the way she'd looked at me… that I couldn't decipher. I'd assumed I was dreaming when she'd dashed through the door. _It couldn't be, _I'd thought, _why would Ryuu be here? And why would she try and release me?_

I rolled onto my stomach and snatched the Rubick's Cube from the bedside table. Idly, I clicked the dials back and forth, once again unsuccessfully trying to solve the impossible muggle puzzle. _Such a complex thing…_

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Ryuu

By the time I'd stormed back from the Dungeons and reached my dormitory, all I could do was sit on the floor and stare at the flickering emerald flames that danced inside my fireplace.

_What the hell was that? _

I brought my knees under my chin and dug my face into my legs. My head was aching from not thinking. The throbbing of my heart had lessened, but I still felt myself trembling. I could barely register what had just occurred. Twice in one day, I'd felt so much anger coursing through me that my composure had crumbled completely. The last time I'd been in a state like that, I'd curled up under a seat on a train and cried for hours.

I unfurled and stood up, my gaze centring on my windowsill. There as it had been for months sat the dazzling silver snake ring, embedded with a rare green dragonstone. I walked over and carefully picked it up, staring into the gem. A crack still split down the middle, from when I'd thrown it across the room. I traced its path with the tip of the finger, feeling a wave of inexplicable sadness. Draco had gotten some of the finest silver workers to craft this ring for me, and had managed to get his hands on a green dragonstone, which, according to Hermione, was no easy feat. I held out my hand to slide it on my finger, but hesitated. After a few moments I placed the ring in my pocket instead, feeling the weight of it against my leg.

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Draco

When I woke the full moon had just risen over the tops of the trees.

I sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes and searching for my wand with my hand. _"Lumos."_As soon as the light flicked on I felt instantly more awake. Absently I realised that Ryuu's knife and slipper were still sitting at the foot of my bed. I picked them up and walked quietly, carefully opening the door connecting our rooms so it wouldn't creak. When I looked down the short passage way, I saw that a green glow was emanating from the end. _She's awake. _I took a deep breath, and before I could convince myself to turn back, walked down the corridor and up to the doorway.

I was just about to knock, but my fist stopped inches away from the door. Ryuu was curled up on her bed, arms and legs close into her body with her accursed cat snoozing at her feet. Her eyes were closed in slumber, and a lock of her blonde hair tumbled past her ear and over her cheek. She looked so quiet and so peaceful that I felt myself smirking. Trying to make as little noise as possible, I slowly walked into the room, my eyes never leaving her face. I held my breath as I came closer, delicately placing the knife and the slipper on her bedside table.

Then, several things happened at once.

First, Ryuu's eyes suddenly opened and she sprang up, holding her shoulders and breathing shallowly. Dusk awoke and hissed as he saw me. Ryuu's gaze flicked over to look at me and her right arm flashed forwards so the tip of her wand was pointing at my chest. I retreated a few steps, holding my hands up in surrender and yelled in surprise. "Whoa, Ryuu – it's me! It's just me."

Her wand didn't move, but her eyes wavered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It was the first thing she had said to me in a full year. I took a step further into the firelight, watching her face. I pointed to her bedside table. "You… left those in the dungeon."

Her gaze didn't move from me, and I'd never felt that I was being more analysed. Her lips parted slightly, before she pressed them firmly together again. "That's not what I meant," she said flatly. "What are you doing _here_ at Hogwarts?"

I remained silent, blinking stupidly, trying to word the answer. "I just…" I wet my lips.

Ryuu sprang up, eyes flashing. _"Well? _Don't just stand there! Answer me!"

Sensing danger, Dusk jumped from the bed and hurried out the door. I almost felt like following suit. But something in the way Ryuu was speaking kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. I'd never seen her like this before; so… vulnerable.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Ryuu yelled, advancing until she was within arm's reach. She'd lowered her wand and it was swinging from a leather cord wrapped around her wrist. "Please, I… don't." A tear fell from her eye and I tried to take a step forward, but my legs wouldn't move. She wiped the tear from her cheek angrily, and her eyes returned to their angry fire.

"I _don't_ understand!" she said it in such a distraught way that I wondered if she'd ever said those words before. "I came back here after _months_ of not thinking about you, to find out that you'd come strolling up to the castle, waving a white flag over your head and asking to join the Cats!" Her eyes were wide and staring, and she gasped. _"Why?!"_

"I came for you!" I blurted out, my voice sounding stronger than I'd expected it would.

Ryuu's face momentarily went devoid of anger and her mouth hung limp. Several more tears fell down her cheek before her lip trembled and I wondered if she was about to sob. Instead, she spoke in a stream of mumbled words that were almost too quiet for me to hear. "Me? You… came here for me? But – no, that…_why?!"_ Her tone grew louder. "I-I destroyed you! That's what I do – that's _all_ I do!"

She stepped forward, her hands grabbing at my shirt and more tears falling from her eyes that had never looked more emerald. "This isn't how it works, I -you… in Diagon Alley. You could've killed me." Her hands scrunched up the fabric. I could feel her trembling. "Why didn't you kill me?!"

I delicately grabbed a hold of her wrists and pulled her hands away from me, and down by her sides. She didn't appear to have noticed, and her stare was still searching for an answer in my eyes. I couldn't think of what to say. I was too shocked of what I was witnessing. Was this how Ryuu had been for the past year? Was this what she'd been hiding all this time?

She took a shuddering breath. "You hate me. You're _supposed_ to hate me!"

_Never. _The word wouldn't come. She was shaking again; I could feel her hands curling up into fists. I couldn't tear my mind away from the way she was looking at me. _She doesn't know._

"Please," she whispered, but still with a firm tone. "Answer me, Draco."

I hadn't heard her say my name like that before. She took a deep breath, her voice barely wavering this time.

"What do you want from me?"

I kissed her.

For a millisecond, Ryuu froze. Then, she wrapped her arms around me, pressing herself closer. _Ryuu. _Only that thought was comprehendible in my mind. All that existed was her. _This is Ryuu. And I'm holding her. And she's alive. And I'm with her._ I ran my fingers through her golden hair. _She's not pulling away. Not like last time. _I could hear my heart beating and feel hers against my chest. I could feel her tears against my cheeks, but she'd stopped crying now. _Ryuu. I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I forgive you. _She'd stopped trembling and was standing upon her tippy-toes. I brushed her cheek with my fingertips, to take away her tears. Her arms were draped over my shoulders, and I pulled her closer. _Ryuu, I-_

_BOOM._

The shattering sound snapped me back into reality and I pulled away. _No. Please, no. They couldn't have…_The cold fingers of fear crept over my heart, covering where Ryuu's had been. I untangled myself from her grip and hurried towards the window, searching the night sky.

"Draco?" Ryuu's voice sounded concerned from behind me, but I held up a hand for her to be quiet. She appeared next to me, following my anxious stare.

_BOOM. _The sound was louder now, shaking the room around us. "No…" I whispered, as I watched a red rip form in the sky.

"What-"Ryuu began to say, but I'd already grabbed her hand and yanked her towards the door. I pushed her in front of me yelling: "Go, GO!"

We'd made it halfway down the staircase before the bomb hit and the building blew apart, burying us in rubble.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was home. _

_It had been a long journey, but the girl enjoyed going away with her father for his work. It gave her an opportunity to see new things, eat different food, and observe a culture completely foreign to her. She pulled her travel case into her room and sprawled upon her bed, smiling at the roof. It was good to be back. _

_She rolled onto her side and flicked her hair out of her face, a long yawn stretching through her mouth. She stretched her limbs and swung back up, opening her trunk and beginning to unpack it, piece by piece. She wandered back and forth, putting things back in their place and tidying. Her mother called for dinner, and they all sat down and enjoyed a fresh, hot meal. After that, she relaxed with her parents and they talked late into the night about their adventures. _

_It was only when the girl returned to her room to go to sleep, that she woke up and realised she'd been dreaming. She sighed, she was still travelling and home seemed very far away. _

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A/N: YES! Ryuu and Draco finally reunited (more like Dryuunited, haha) – and then reality kicks back in and a bomb falls right on top of them! I really wish things could go smoothly…


	45. Chapter 23 - Run

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello, my dear readers! Okay, so this chapter is quite lengthy and one of my favourite – I know I say that about a lot of chapters but this one really is right up there. Hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it!

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy

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Chapter 23 - Run

Ryuu

Noise. Crashing, tearing noise. Dust; filling my lungs so I choked. Rock and stone, all around me, smashing against me. Light. Random flashes of the sky, a rock, a wall. But my eyes were clogged with dust and I couldn't rely on them. Air. Pushing me back, or forward, or... _where am I going?_ I tried to call out, but my senses were in haywire and I couldn't think of anything. Anything but the noise and the air and my fingers which were digging into Draco's shirt.

_Pain. _My back was slammed with so much force that I cried out. _Impact. _The breath was knocked out of me as weight crashed on top of me. I felt a sudden vibration next to my head and glanced over to realise that a slab of stone had missed me by inches. It was then that I noticed my hearing had disappeared. Now my ears rang with a high frequency buzz. _I'm deaf. _

I blinked some of the sawdust from my eyes, my vision clearing slightly. I saw debris cluttered around me, and covering me. My brain took a few seconds to register what had occurred, and the ringing in my ears didn't help. _There was a loud noise… and then… and then Draco pushed me towards the stairs. Something hit the tower. Something that made it explode…_

A fresh wave of pain stabbed into my reality and I gasped again, my eyes focusing on a rock that was crushing my left arm. I bit my lip as I twisted my shoulder, carefully pulling my arm out from under the stone, skin scraping against the rough surface. With a final pull, my arm was free, blood dripping from my wrist and over my traitor scars.

I let my head flop against the ground again – processing for the first time that I must be on the ground, and that the rubble was what remained of my dormitory – and sighed. I coughed out the dust ridden air, realising how difficult it was to breathe. With an immense effort, I forced my eyes open to see what was resting on top of me.

"Draco!" I croaked as I saw him. An impact from a rock had left a mean gash on his temple, and blood was trickling down into his eyebrows. "Draco… wake up." My voice seemed distant in my ringing ears. I reached up a hand to shake his limp body. His eyes remained closed. Panic seized me. _No, don't. Stop being dead, you can't be dead._ But my heart returned to a normal pace when I felt him breathing against me. _Just unconscious. Not dead._

I prodded his face, but he still didn't move. "Wake up. Draco!" My voice was hoarse and I coughed again, wincing at the pain in my chest. It was then that I noticed Draco's eyelids fluttering, and he groaned. "Draco!" The ringing in my ears lessened as his lips began to move and his eyes dragged open.

"Ryuu… my arm…"

I looked down at my stomach, where Draco's left arm had crossed around his front and was weighing down on me heavily. It was then that I noticed he'd been pointing his wand behind him and his arm had twisted. _He must have cast a Protego charm as we were falling…_ I realised with a start. Draco groaned again as he tried to move.

Suddenly , the unmistakable sound of broomsticks sliding through the air reached my ears and I heard voices. I clapped my hand over Draco's mouth to quiet him and silently pleaded with him to stay still. My heart was hammering in my chest and I remembered the situation with full clarity. _Draco. The bomb._ _We have to stay hidden. _

_The final battle has begun._

"It worked. It _really_ worked," said a female voice. I tried to look past the hunks of debris covering us, but I couldn't see the source.

"Just like Parkinson said it would," added a different male voice.

_Parkinson? Surely not… _I felt Draco shift, crushing my lungs a little more and making it harder to breathe. I felt the cramped space closing in around me, and my hands shook in panic. _No, not now. Calm, control. Breathe. _But I couldn't breathe.

"Come on, let's search." The woman said, and I heard the brooms landing and footsteps walking around.

_Oh shit. No, no, no. _I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. _Please, not now. Stop it Ryuu, calm down. Calm down. _I heard the Death Eaters move past us and the footsteps quickened, as if they were ascending. I tried to take my mind away from the claustrophobia. _It sounds like they're going upstairs. Some of the towers must still be standing. _I tried to breathe again, but felt dust and panic clog in my throat. I lowered my hand from Draco's mouth to clutch at my throat. _No, I can't breathe! _I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking. _Get me out, out, out! Please, I need to air. I - _

-"Ryuu" Draco's strained voce cut through my thoughts. I felt his whisper and carefully opened my eyes. His face was pinched in pain but he hid it behind a mask. His gaze was understanding and I calmed down slightly. I took a few short, shallow breaths, my pulse lessening. _Okay, clam. Focus. _I unfolded my fingers and relaxed the tension in my muscles, vaguely hearing to the sounds of screaming coming from above the rubble and focusing solely on Draco. The gash on his forehead was still bleeding, and I felt a drop of blood fall onto my face. I twisted my right arm slightly, noting with relief that the leather cord was still wrapped around my wrist. Good. My wand was still there. I returned my attention to the sounds of the Death Eaters above, listening intently.

"Okay, that looks like all of them." the man said casually, in a way that made me feel sickened. Then the brooms took off and everything above was silent. I could hear the faint sound of action in the distance, but nothing close. Nevertheless, I counted to a hundred and twenty before convincing myself it was probably safe.

I looked up at Draco. His mask of support had fallen away and it was clear to see how much pain he was in. I took a shallow breath and tried to clear my throat a bit more. "Try not to move, I'll help you out." I croaked. I tried to flatten myself onto the ground as much as I could, and began to slither out sideways, digging my fingernails into the rough stone. I pulled myself slowly, inching my way out from underneath Draco and to the right. I wriggled underneath a particularly large piece of debris and finally my torso was free. I grabbed my thighs and dragged my legs out. For a few moments I collapsed on the cold hard ground, gasping and coughing and stretching my muscles. Then I hoisted myself up and began to help Draco.

Three levitation charms later, the debris covering Draco was removed and I knelt down beside him. I looked over his body, which didn't look too crushed, but I couldn't be sure. Biting my lip, I carefully tilted his head to he could look at me. Draco's left arm was still twisted underneath his body and his wand had slipped from his grasp and onto the floor beside him. His steel grey eyes wavered. I took a deep breath and adopted a calm tone.

"Draco, can you hear me?"

He grunted in assent. So far so good. "Okay, can you move your leg for me please?" I heard my voice wobble at the end. He slowly dragged his right leg sideways, and did the same with his left. "Good." I said in relief. He isn't paralysed, at least. _I can't believe he did that,_ I thought solemnly. _He could've killed himself._

"Okay, now I'm going to roll you over." I sounded like my mother when she helped a patient. "Try to relax, and don't move okay? One," I positioned one hand on his head and the other on his shoulder. "Two… _three."_ I rolled him onto his back, and he cried out in pain, eyes jammed shut.

"_Shit!" _I swore, my hands snapping up and away from his body. I'd bitten my tongue in fright and gasped so severely that I'd choked on some more dust. "I'm sorry!" I blurted out, remembering all those horror stories my mother had told me about, when people gave someone spinal injuries for not handling them properly. "Where are you hurt?"

Draco grit his teeth and opened his eyes. "My arm," he said. "I think… when we hit the ground, it fell out of place."

_A dislocation. _I'd seen my mother fix this before. But I wasn't my mother. The most medical application I knew was how to apply bandages with one hand. I looked at Draco's left arm. It was limp, and crooked, certainly knocked out of the socket. I dusted off my hands, clearing my head, and thinking.

"Ryuu?" Draco said.

"I need to roll you onto your stomach again," I said clearly. I placed my hands gingerly on his arm. "But first, let's bring this closer the your body." I looked him in the eye, trying to appear as confident as possible. "This is going to hurt."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Draco asked, wincing as I applied a little pressure to the arm.

I chose to ignore that. "On the count of three. One, two, _three."_ I blocked my ears to his yell and slid his arm in beside his hip. I felt a pang of guilt when I looked at his face, but forced myself to continue, preparing to roll him over. "One, two, _three."_ This time, he merely grunted, swallowing the pain. I took a deep breath and moved over to his other side, so I could get a better angle, flicking my wand into my hand.

"Okay," my voice still sounded calm besides my stress. I untied the cord of my dressing gown and folded it up into a bunch. After wiping the dust away I leaned over Draco's face. "Put this in your mouth to bite down on." He regarded me with startled eyes before gingerly accepting the cloth and stuffing it into his mouth.

"This is really going to hurt, but I promise you that when it's done, there'll be no more pain." I examined the arm, registering the angle I'd need to get this right._ The magic should prevent any damage to the cartridge… I hope_. I took a deep breath. "One, two, _three." _I pulled his arm upwards and shifted it so I could sight it straight down into the socket, then – trying desperately to ignore Draco's cries – I tapped my wand on his shoulder and murmured _"Episkey."_

There was a snapping sound as the arm popped back into place, and Draco stopped yelling. I lowered the arm and peered around at his face, which had slackened. His eyes widened in wonder as he lifted his left arm with ease and twisted it from side to side. I felt my demeanour slipping away and dropped my wand so it clattered to the ground. "Are you okay?" I asked, voice normal.

Draco seemed to register my existence and nodded. "Yes, I'm… I'm fine." He sat up, waved his arm around one more time for good measure and picked up his wand from the ground. "Are you okay?"

_He shielded me from a bomb. _I opened my mouth and closed it again, my eyes locking onto his. I suddenly remembered the way he'd kissed me before and felt colour rising to my cheeks. So many things had just happened in the last ten minutes. I tried to think of what I should be thinking, but could only register that Draco was alive, and I was alive. I blinked stupidly, and tore myself away from his gaze. "I'm fine. We should get out of here."

I stood up and looked around for the first time, flicking my wand into my hand once more. Ironically, only the Slytherin Prefects towers had been bombed. The entire wall where the stairs to my dormitory had been was gone, and the rubble was strewn across the entire tower. The Prefect's Common Room was no more. The glass table had been shattered along with the skylight. The beautifully embroidered tapestries and rugs were ruined, or covered in stone. Dust clouded the room, but as it cleared I spied the body of Ernie McMillan in the Hufflepuff stair way. He'd obviously been in the wrong place at the wrong time, seeing as it was a killing curse that had murdered him.

I quickly looked away and out through the gaping scar of the tower into the night sky. The tear in the shield was perfectly in line with the hole the bomb had left. The stars in the night sky were aplenty, but the masses of Death Eaters on broomsticks were more eye-catching. They flooded through the hole in the shield like blood through a wound, seeping into the night sky with their midnight black cloaks. Thankfully, the light of the full moon outlined some of the figures. _But,_ I said to myself, _that only makes us more visible. Move!_

Draco seemed to have the same thought as me, because he placed a hand on my back and hurried me into the shadows. I jumped over the rubble, keeping out of the moonlight and heading for the door. Suddenly, the entire castle shook violently and I staggered , but Draco caught my arm. I steadied myself. "What was that?"

"Another bomb." Draco said knowingly. "Pansy said she was going to get the Weasley twins back. She must have stolen their merchandise and gave it to the Death Eaters."

'_Just like Parkinson said it would.' That's what the male Death Eater said. _I couldn't decide how I felt knowing that Pansy was still alive. The fact that one of her bombs had nearly killed us didn't improve my feelings for her. _Could it be that she targeted the Slytherin dormitories intentionally, knowing I could be in there? _I couldn't deny the likelihood of that possibility. Her hatred for me had only flourished in fifth year.

My bare feet slipped and skidded over the rubble, until eventually I was at the front door. I turned to see Draco directly behind me, wand out at the ready. I gripped my own wand tighter and stepped forward, trying to ignore the loud sounds coming from behind the closed door, when Draco placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Where exactly are we supposed to go?" he asked, eyes as sharp as grey steel.

I flicked a blonde curl out of my eye. "We can't stay here. In case you hadn't noticed there's a freaking huge hole in the wall where Death Eaters could come swooping through at any minute!"

I hadn't realised I'd snapped until I noticed Draco's hurt expression. His jaw clenched. "I _meant,_" he began stonily, "is there some destination we have to go to, or do we just run around the castle blindly?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well how should _I_ know?"

"You're a _General."_

I wavered, feeling a twist in my stomach. "Dumbledore hasn't given me any orders. He never does." At that moment I realised just how flimsy the Cats really were. We were outnumbered, constantly the victims of attack rather than the perpetrators, and severely unorganised. _We're children. Just children in costume armour. It's a miracle we've survived this long. And Dumbledore knows that._ I looked up at Draco and realised I was angry. Angry at Dumbledore. Angry that I'd been thrown into this mess so long ago. Angry that my life was in danger now. Angry that Draco was here with me, when I didn't want him to die. _I don't want death. Not now._ I shook my head. "Harry's planning something. I don't know what it is, but it's the only chance we've got. We need to find him."

"Potter?" Draco said doubtfully.

I nodded and turned back to the door. I pressed my General's pin to the wall and took a deep breath, trying not to shudder as I listened to the screams and crashes coming from the other side. No matter how many times I'd been thrown into battle, I'd never get used to the fear. It was as if it was a shadow, following you in times of light, but when the darkness fell, only the shadow remained. I figured that maybe I should pray, but couldn't imagine who I would pray to. Instead I grabbed Draco's hand, lacing my fingers through his own and took a deep breath as the wall lit up and the door opened.

The chaos beyond seemed to position itself in my mind as a list, and as I scoped the area, I crossed each action off, one by one. The Snatcher in front of the door, felt the full force of my stinging hex, and his knees concaved as he fell down, screaming. I left Draco to deal with the ones on his side of the room, and turned my attention to the ones on my side. The woman attacked first, and I barely managed to block her curse. As my shield faded, I slid forward, surprising her._"Petrificus Totalus!" _The Death Eater to my right had just killed a Cat when I spun on my heel and defeated him with a flash of green light. _I will not hesitate. _His friend yelled and fired several hexes in my direction with startling precision. I dodged three, but the last one rammed into my leg, knocking me backwards into Draco. I regained my stance and blasted him back with water. _"AGUAMENTI!"_ He fell out the window, screaming into the night.

I turned and stumbled, my foot kicking into a body. I quickly steadied myself and raised my wand, but Draco's side of the room was quiet. His last opponent hit the floor, unconscious. I realised with a start that he hadn't killed any of them, but had stunned all four of them quietly and smoothly, as if he did this kind of thing every day. Another bomb hit below us, and the ground trembled. Draco pulled me forwards, and we hid against the corner. I looked down at our arms, his branded with the writhing Dark Mark and mine sliced with scars. _The Traitor and the Death Eater. What a pair…_

"You got hit." Draco said, looking down at me. "You were knocked into me; are you okay?" He was breathing steadily, whereas I was panting in panic. As he stared at me, his brow furrowed. "Ryuu?"

I stared at him in amazement. "Aren't you scared?"

"Terrified," he whispered as he peered around the corner, hand tightening around my own. I chewed my lip in thought. How strange it was for me to be the one in a state, and Draco to be cool, calm and collected. _He is scared, he's just hiding it – for me. _I realised. My heart beat wildly in my chest as I heard a terrible howl scrape through the night. "Draco, I need to tell you something," I blurted in a rush.

He pulled me away from the corner and we dashed through the corridor. We were just about to veer around the edge into another battle when Draco stopped and I tugged him behind a pillar. We flattened ourselves against the stone, and Draco regarded me with an impatient stare. "Can't it wait?"

"No," I replied. _Who knows how long we have left? _I needed to tell him now. Some gut feeling told me that my chances were running out. _It'll be tonight. _The thought came unbidden, and I didn't repress it quickly enough. "I," I began meekly, "I have to tell you something…"

A bolt of green light struck the wall next to my head and I swerved, facing the attacker and striking faster than a viper. _"Impedimenta!" _Once the Death Eater was down, Draco tugged me out from the pillar and we delved into the battle, hands still firmly linked.

I jumped over the body of a Cat, my wand slashing violently in front of me. Orange sparks crackled in the air like fireworks and two Snatchers were blasted against a wall. "It's just, I know that this is a bad time, but – _Draco!"_

I pushed him out of the way as a killing curse missed him by inches. We slammed into the Death Eater he'd been duelling, and Draco paralysed him when he tried to fight back. I dragged Draco into the shadows, tripping over my dressing gown as I ran. We collapsed against the wall, hearts pounding in our throats. I looked over at him, face sincere. "Ever since that night in Umbridge's office, I just- haven't been able to forgive myself."

A suit of armour sprang out from beside us and blocked an attack from a triplet of Death Eaters. With a mighty swing in its sword, blood sprayed and the screams of the three cut off eerily. Draco and I sidled against the wall, and then began to run frantically along the fringe of the anarchy in the hallway. I yelled over the amorphous of sound so that Draco could hear me. "The entire time I hadn't really thought about what I was doing, I just _did_ it! But by the end, well… I hadn't expected-"

The crowd surged and suddenly, our ducking and weaving had brought us to the centre of the hallway. Now it wasn't just Death Eaters and Snatchers in the battle. A herd of centaurs galloped past, loosing arrows at the enemy. More animated suits of armour brutally sliced their way through the masses. But Voldemort's troops had surprises too. Acromantula scuttled over the walls, falling off whenever an impact shuddered the foundations of the castle. The hallway was writhing with activity, both for and against my favour. My back was pressed against Draco's and I screamed spells in each direction.

"_Stupefy! _And then all of this fighting started and I was afraid - I didn't know what I was supposed to do! And-_Arania Exumai! _And I assumed that you must have hated me for what I did; _I_ certainly did." I could still feel Draco fighting, but I assumed he was listening also.

Another Cat fired a spell at the same Death Eater I'd been targeting, and I pivoted to my other side to face an oncoming Snatcher. _"Protego! RICTUSEMPRA! _But even when I thought you hated me, I still felt guilty. Horrible. But, I couldn't understand…" I stopped as a curse lashed my side, and dug through my flesh. I gasped as I felt warm blood seeping through my clothes. I pointed my wand at the culprit. _"Avada Kedavra! _But Draco – _Reducto!_ – I'm sorry. I am, I'm so sorry for everything."

His hand squeezed mine as I heard him defeat another opponent. The enemies around us were dwindling. We'd been held in place for the last few minutes and I was exhausted. _Just a little longer. _My wand seemed to be moving of its own accord now, and I silently stunned another Acromantula. A suit of armour stabbed it for good measure, and its legs twitched inwards as it died. I heard a shriek beside me and saw that the Cat who'd been helping me was being mawled buy a savage black werewolf. I screamed, and it looked up at me with cold watery blue eyes. Just from that glance I knew it wasn't Lupin. _"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_ It cried like a pup as it collapsed, lifeless.

I was knocked back against Draco, but he held his ground and I managed to stun the Death Eater who'd hexed me. "And in that office, when you said that to me, all I wanted to do was tell you-"

A figure lunged at me, its impact cutting off my scream. I tried to tear it off me, but it scratched my shoulders as I pulled. One of the enchanted knights grabbed it by its legs and swung it away, then continued skewering the enemies with its spear. _"Protego!"_ I heard Draco yell, then, "Ryuu?!"

"Draco, I just wanted to say-"

A purple light exploded in front of me, and two Death Eaters keeled over. I suddenly noticed that there was only a few left, and that there appeared to be a mound of bodies before me, of both friend and foe, dead and alive. A Snatcher raised her wand at me, but I took her down easily. "I wanted to tell you _- Expelliarmus! –_ to tell you that-"

Another curse hit me in the foot, and I yelled in pain. I sighted the Death Eater who did it, but he was struck down by Draco, who was now at my shoulder. When I briefly checked behind me, I saw that his side of the room was clear. I turned back and lashed two Snatchers with a stinging hex, so that they fell, trembling. A chill crept through the area and raked up my body. I took a deep breath, and yelled over the horrid rattling noise that could only mean one thing.

"-That I love you too. I do, Draco. I love you."

The last opponent fell, and Draco sighed heavily, his breath coming out in a mist. I looked around at the devastation, the ruin of bodies that surrounded us. Galloping hooves clattered away. My head was throbbing, and my legs were shaking, barely holding me upright. I leaned against Draco, who I could also feel trembling. I dragged my eyes over the bodies and stopped when I saw the knight. The suit of armour was stock still, frozen in his position, with his sword raised high. When I swung my weary head around, I noticed the same of the other three suits of armour. _They're frozen, _as I narrowed my eyes I noticed the frost etching up over the steel of their bodies. _Frozen in place._

A wave of dread washed over me as the first dementor drifted down from the ceiling. I sagged against Draco, who was leaning into me, head beside mine. I felt the cold of his skin brush against my face. Two other dementors descended, and my knees felt weaker. _No, I mustn't fall. Please… I can't. _I could see frost forming over my eyelashes, their weight making my eyes close. I heard Luna's voice waft through my thoughts and remembered the woman pleading with me at the bottom of the Pile. "_No…" _I whispered, my knees sinking until they hit the floor. I felt Draco crash down beside me, and knew we were dead. My fingers were still tightly stitched to his, but the warmth from his hand had all but left. Just before my eyes closed, I felt Draco's whisper against my cheek.

"_I love you too."_

My eyes snapped open, and my heart beat faster, pumping fire through my body to fight away the frost. I squeezed Draco's hand and felt his fingers twitch into life. I gasped in a breath of cold air, awakening my senses from the inside out and raised my wand to point at the closest dementor. From the corner of my eye I saw Draco do the same. The dementor opened its gaping mouth, breath wheezing and rattling, but I focused solely on Draco's hand in mine.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

The light was blinding, and not just to us. The dementors veered upwards and away, wailing in anguish. I felt warmth tingling in my arm from the energy produced by my wand. My body seemed to tick back into life, and Draco and I stood, continuing the spell until the dementors were pushed away. As the remnants of the magic dwindled, I could still clearly see the silvery dragon and serpent circling above our heads.

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Draco

When I touched my hand to Ryuu's waist, it came back covered in blood. I shook my head, sighing. "You need to be more careful."

"It's fine. I'm _fine." _She said simply. She tried to shrug out of her robe, but winced as she stretched her right arm, and flexed her side. She grit her teeth together, but I could see she was in immense pain.

"Here; let me," I began.

"I'm okay-"

"-No, you're not. Here." I carefully slid the dressing gown off her shoulders and laid it out on the floor beside her. It was difficult to see in the dark of the empty classroom, but I could just make out the spreading stain of blood along one side of the cloth.

"Thanks." Ryuu whispered, picking up her wand again and looking anxiously towards the door. There wasn't much action outside - certainly nothing like what we'd fought against in the corridor – but occasionally a loud crash would cause us both to jump and point our wands to the doorway. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone else came in here to hide as well, whether they were a friend or foe was the problem.

"_Ferula," _I whispered, and lengthy strips of bandage unfurled from my wand.

"I keep forgetting that spell," Ryuu smiled wanly.

"There's another one you keep forgetting," I said as Ryuu raised her arms and I began to encircle the bandage around her waist to cover her wound. "It's called _Protego_. Perhaps you've heard of it?"

"I don't have time for that." Ryuu grunted.

"Make time." I lectured. "You use too many _offensive_ spells, and not enough _defensive_ spells. Which is why you need to be bandaged up all the time." I looked at her shoulders, which had been clawed at by some creature that she hadn't been able to identify. A thin scratch also ran across her cheek. I wound the cloth around her waist once more and pulled it tight. Ryuu cringed. "Sorry," I murmured as I tied it off.

"I'm not as fast as you," she began quietly. "Most of the time all I can do to retaliate is attack, and_ quickly_." She pulled the dressing gown towards her and slid her left arm in. When she tried to stretch her right arm, I helped her guide it into the sleeve, despite her protests of: "I'm okay, really." Ryuu was always like that. She wouldn't let anyone help her, even the people closest to her. Somehow, she figured that she had to take care of herself, no matter how difficult that was. I raised a bloody hand to tuck a stray ringlet of hair behind her ear.

"Just… try not to get yourself hurt." I said.

She stared at me with eyes that glinted like emeralds in candlelight. She was just about to speak when a searing pain vibrated through my skull. I gasped, closing in on myself. "Draco?!" Ryuu's eyes were wide and fearful and she grabbed my hand. "Draco what-?!" She too was struck with pain and she choked on her words. A high pitched noise burned in my ears and it felt as if clammy hands were caressing my mind, ripping and tearing through my thoughts. I felt Ryuu collapse next to me, and squeezed my eyes shut, begging for the pain to stop.

_Dumbledore is slain, _hissed His voice inside my head, sharper than a blade of ice. _Your pathetic attempt at defeating me has failed. _

I forced my eyes open, trying to reach Ryuu who was curled up in a quivering ball, eyes tearing. But a wave of pain more intense than the last crashed over me, and I cried out, closing my eyes again.

_You have one hour._

_In one hour I shall join the battle._

_In one hour all that you love shall die. _

_Join me, and you shall be spared._

_You have one hour._

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the pain ceased abruptly. I gasped for breath. My head span as I opened my eyes. I coughed out the sudden breaths I'd taken and pressed a hand to my aching forehead. The gash from the explosion was no longer bleeding; the blood had congealed and stopped flowing. I rolled onto my back, trying to breathe, Voldemort's warning spinning through my thoughts. _One hour. _

"Draco?" her voice wavered.

I forced myself up and crawled over to where Ryuu was sitting, grasping her side and coughing violently. She was wearing the same expression as she had in Diagon Alley, except a thousand times more terrified. "V-Voldemort's going to win," she choked and shook her heads at her own words. She leaned her head against my chest and I gingerly wrapped my arms around her, shaking as much as she was.

_Yes. He is._ The realisation made me tighten my hold. It was clear now. Maybe it always had been. _What do I do? _I thought desperately. _Join me, and you will be spared. _How could I trust that? What would stop Voldemort from just killing us as soon as we surrendered? The Malfoys had been loyal to him since the beginning. Perhaps, I could return and claim that Ryuu is a half-blood. We could change her hair colour and her name, and I'd tell them that I wished to keep her as a war trophy. Ryuu wouldn't like it, and neither would I, but at least she would be safe… enough.

I looked down at her quivering form and shook my head. No. We would both be killed. Just the thought made my hands tighten. _What can I do? _I needed to keep her safe. Ryuu needed to live. That much was certain. _Please, Mother, she mustn't die. But what must I do? _We could not stay here, lest we would be killed by death Eaters. We could not join Voldemort or we would be killed by Death Eaters. Only one option remained.

Ryuu looked up and slowly pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. I shifted to kneel in front of her, and looked directly into her green gaze. "We have to leave," I said lowly.

Ryuu regarded me with a look that said 'no' and began to open her mouth. Then suddenly, something in her eyes changed and she pressed her lips together, her gaze turning downcast and nodded. I stood, pulling my wand from my sleeve and moved carefully towards the door. Ryuu joined me, taking a hold of my hand as I reached for the doorhandle. I cast her a glance and she gave a quick, solemn nod. I flung the door open and we dashed out, turning to the left in synchrony.

The corridor was empty. Somehow, that was worse than finding it full of enemies. We ran around a corner into a vast walkway with classrooms on either side. Five figures. Three Death Eaters. Two Cats.

I paralysed the first, Ryuu stunned the second. The third cried _"Crucio!" _The curse missed me by inches. Just when I was about to fight back, I saw Ryuu fire a flash of green light and the man died. I cast Ryuu a glance, wondering how many people she'd killed. I myself, had never killed anyone directly; but she seemed to do it numbly, as if she barely noticed it now.

"Hey, thanks." One of the young Cats said, but I was already pulling Ryuu away.

We hurried down another empty hall, and down a staircase. "Where is everyone?" Ryuu muttered. I felt the same. Something was very wrong here.

Noises erupted from up ahead. Screams, and the sounds of curses. Bright lights flashed, and as I watched a body came flying out from the archway to crumple down in front of us. Ryuu and I stepped to the side and peered around the edge of the arch. We were nearing the centre of the castle, and obviously more action was taking place here. This corridor wasn't as jam-packed as our first one had been, but still looked like hard work to get through.

A dozen Snatchers were fighting head to head with six centaurs. The Snatcher's backs were to us, and they were trying to break past the line of centaurs to get to the doorway behind them. The horsemen however, were having none of that. Arrows loosed from their bows like lies from lips, mercilessly targeting vulnerabilities. One of the Snatchers cried out as an arrow pierced his heart and he flopped backwards. Several hexes shot at the largest centaur – who looked to be the leader – but he crossed his arms in an 'x' over his torso and most of the spells deflected back towards the Snatchers. The centaur staggered and loosed an arrow that went awry before regaining his composure. The Snatchers however weren't so fortunate. Several of them were knocked to their backs by the centaur's defence and another man was blasted past the arch and slammed to the ground, on top of the last guy.

Ryuu tugged on my sleeve. "Let's go around."

We turned back the way we'd come. As we were sprinting down one of the empty corridors, a rumbling vibrated through the floor and we paused. I stared at the wall anxiously, listening.

A crack surfaced along the stone and we barely had time to draw breath before it began to fall down. I instinctively dashed to my left; and Ryuu instinctively went to her right. I felt a pang of horror as my hand left hers, but my legs wouldn't stop running. I threw myself to the ground as the wall crashed down, littering stone everywhere in an enormous pile that reached almost to the roof. Thankfully, I was a fast runner and had made it out of the destruction zone. I rolled onto my side and pushed myself up, coughing the dust from my lungs. _Ryuu. _I sprang to my feet and ran towards the ruined wall, trying to peer through the stone. "RYUU!"

There was no answer.

_No. _I looked around for a gap, a crack, anything that I might be able to see through to the other side. "RYUU!" I yelled again. Still no response. _She was holding my hand. I let her go. _

"_RYUU!"_

I waited, listening to the terrible silence. _No, please no. Not Ryuu. Please._ _Not… _"Ryuu?" I whispered.

A faint cough sounded from the other side of the rocks. I held my breath. _Had I imagined it?_ I was just about to yell again when, _"Draco!?"_

"Ryuu! Are you hurt?" I felt the weight in my chest fade and breathed again. _She's alive. Yes, she's alive. _I stared up at the damage of debris. It was too high to climb over, and too dangerous. _Dammit. _

"I'm okay." She coughed again. "Are you-?"

"-I'm fine. Ryuu, I promise I'll find you."

"Where should we meet?" her voice sounded strained.

I frowned. "Are you okay, Ryuu?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's just the dust- really."

I didn't believe her. I tightened my grip on my wand. "You stay there, I'll find a way to get to you."

"Don't be ridiculous!" she yelled. "That'll take too long." I followed the sound of her voice, and tried to find a gap to look through. "The Entrance Hall. Go there. If I don't arrive for ten minutes after you've gotten there, then-"

"-I'm _not_ leaving you!"

A pause. I heard her coughing out more dust and grit my teeth. "Where are you injured?"

"I'm not!"

"-Ryuu-!"

"_We don't have time for this!" _she shouted. "I'll see you at the Entrance Hall."

_So stubborn! _I thought in annoyance. "Ryuu, listen to me. I'm not leaving here without you. I'll find you, okay? Ryuu?" She didn't reply. I called again, but there was no answer. _She's gone. Dammit! _The thought of Ryuu alone in this place was stressful. _I have to find her. The Entrance Hall. _I pushed off the demolished wall of stone and ran faster than I knew I could.

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Ryuu

I'd lied.

I was injured.

I clutched the side of my waist, which was now bleeding more rapidly than it was previously. The only way I'd managed to escape being crushed by the falling wall was to run and jump, landing awkwardly a foot away from the damage. A few small pieces of stone had tumbled over me, leaving me battered and bruised, but the landing on my side had been the worst. The pain throbbed and my head was spinning. I coughed again, wincing at the pain in my stomach and dragged myself over to the shadows so I could inspect the rest of my body.

I leaned against a pillar which trembled as another bomb smashed into the castle. Carefully, I bent my knees and brought my feet closer, grabbing them in my hands. Thankfully, because of the hard layer of callus I'd worked up in the Kennels, the soles were fine. However, the little toe of my left foot was hurting, and as I looked I saw that it was bent inwards. _When did that happen? _Gritting my teeth, I tapped my wand against the toe, muttering my trusty _Episkey_ charm, and the toe snapped back into place. I shrieked as it did, but the pain was only minimal.

"_Ferula,"_ I whispered, jumping as the sound of hooves clattering on stone reached my ears. I waited nervously, but nothing came my way. I quickly gathered the bandages that had tumbled from the tip of my wand and began to wrap them over the top of Draco's dressing, which was already stained in blood. I tied the bandage off, feeling tight around my middle. Although the wound was pressured, it made it harder to breathe. My head was still spinning, so I opened my mouth and pointed my wand into it. _"Aguamenti." _I said, and a small jet of water poured into my mouth, cleansing my dehydration. I sat for a moment, measuring my breath, and forming a rough calculation in my head of the path I could take to the Entrance Hall.

As I sat, I remembered Zach and Dennis. Their faces appeared in the front of my mind and I found myself feeling sick. _How could I have forgotten?_ _I have to find them. _I had just hauled my aching body into a standing position when a little voice in my head spoke. _No, _I realised. They could both be dead by now, and even if they weren't how was I supposed to know where they were?

I softly banged my head against the cold stone of the pillar, hating myself. For a moment I wished I was stupid. I wished I was foolish enough to be the hero, standing beside my friends and fighting for their safety and our freedom. _No, _whispered the little voice again, and I knew that I'd already made my mind up ages ago. I couldn't. Where would I find the psychotic courage to do that? Cowardly I may be, but at least I was alive. My survival instinct and my logic were stronger than my will. _Run,_ it told me. _Run and hide, Ryuu. _I bit down on my lip, feeling the tears in my eyes as the memories of my friends resurfaced in my thoughts. _I can't._

_I must._

"I'm sorry." I whispered to myself as I blinked the tears away and sprinted from the corridor, slipping into the shadows like a cloak of invisibility.

I took a left into an empty classroom, and opened the door on the other side to burst into a raging battle. A Death Eater stunned me so I was knocked back through the open doorway, but I managed to scrape my fingernails against the door frame, and pushed myself forwards. _"Alarte Ascendare!" _I yelled, and the Death Eater was thrown up into the air. He smashed against the roof with a sickening crunch that cut off his screams entirely and made me wince. Then he dropped to the ground, still. I dashed past the other duellers, narrowly dodging a lashing charm that snapped near my feet. At the end of the hall I glimpsed from the corner of my eye a bright pink blur that could only be Tonks, but I continued running.

It was getting more and more difficult to breathe with these bandages. I slowed and began to slink through the shadows, panting like a heavy smoker. Another stab of pain struck my side but I continued ducking and dodging, trying to remain hidden from the action happening in the corridors and major hallways. _Wait, what am I doing? _I felt so thick that I nearly laughed. Raising my wand, I twirled it around myself and murmured a Disillusionment Charm. Momentarily, a soft blue light flashed, but no one around me noticed. I then took a deep breath and stepped out into the moonlight, keeping my concentration and making my way slowly through the chaos.

Although I was particularly apt at this spell, it required a lot more effort now than it did in Charms class. I had to stay focused and carefully navigate my way over bodies, around Death Eaters, Snatchers, Cats, centaurs and I could've sworn I spied a few goblins running around. I clutched my wound, the blood still flowing and making me dizzy. _I need more water. _To do that I'd have to remove the chameleon charm.

I stopped to the side of the empty passageway. To my right was a big oak door that cast a flickering light in front of it. I moved closer, intrigued, and nearly jumped out of my skin when a roaring sound erupted from the far end of the passageway. My Disillusionment Charm dripped away, and I was revealed once more. _"Alohomora." _I hissed, and the door creaked open. I ducked inside, closing the door behind me as the awful crashing sound raged outside. I leaned against the splintering wood, breathing shallowly. The room I had stumbled into was pitch dark, and silent as grief. A chill crept through my shoulders. _"Lumos Maxima."_

The light spilled out into the space, and the sight that reached my eyes made me blanch in horror and cover my mouth to stop from gagging. I backed up against the door, screaming into the back of my palm and prayed that I was dreaming. _No, _I was trembling uncontrollably. _I can't be seeing this._

The Kittens. The children; majorly muggleborn children; who'd fled from their families to train for the war. They were too young to join combat, but could be trained until they were of age.

They were all dead.

There was probably about three dozen of them. It was difficult to tell in the dark. They lay on the floor, some of them toppled upon others. A few had their eyes open, and were staring at me like porcelain dolls. One boy at the front, who couldn't have been older than thirteen, had a huge slash across his throat and his forehead, so that blood trickled over his face as his dead blue eyes stared at me. All of them were wearing the Cat uniforms, but that had done little to protect them. Gold, red and blue ties were scattered throughout the bodies like stubborn flowers in a barren field. _The blood. _They hadn't been slaughtered with a bright green flash. Cuts and slices had opened their flesh. The room was painted in blood. Trailing down the walls. Pooling on the floor and running through the cracks in the stone. Dripping from the children.

I turned aside and retched, squeezing my eyes shut. _No. No. No. No. No. _My wand slipped from my hand, dangling by the leather cord. I stared at the wall, sweat beading on my brow and wrapped my arms around myself. _Children. They were just little kids. _The metallic smell of the blood made me gag again, so I covered my mouth and screamed until my throat hurt. All I could think about was that they were children. They had only been about three years younger than me, yet they'd seemed so small.

_Who could've done this? _They wouldn't have been a threat to anyone. They'd all been cooped up here because they weren't allowed to fight. _Why? _I pressed my forehead against the stone wall. _Just kids…_

The room shook as another bomb hit. I stayed there for a few minutes, too afraid to turn around. I kept seeing the eyes of the little boy at the front. I forced the thought away, trying desperately to think of something else, anything else. _You need to get out. _The logical voice said. _Get out of here._

But I couldn't move. My entire body had stiffened and I didn't want to open my eyes. _Get out, Ryuu, _my mind told itself, but my body wouldn't obey. Randomly, a trick that my mother had told me as a child appeared in my brain and I opened my eyes slowly. Wetting my lips, I softly began to sing.

"_Ninna nanna a sette e venti," _I began with a broken voice. '_Take your mind away from the fear with a song,' _my mother would say. Then she would stroke my hair and sing me this lullaby in Italian. Even though I had been so young, I still remembered the words. "_il bambino s'addormenti…" _

_Lift your wand. _My hand moved slowly, but eventually grabbed a hold of the leather cord. My fingers deftly slid the cord up into my hand until I finally grasped the handle of my wand. "_S'addormenta e fa un belsonno, e sisvegliadomani a giorno…" _my voice was nowhere near as good as my mothers, and the tune was a lot slower and mumbled than it should have been, but that didn't matter. _Move. _I took a step closer to the door, keeping my mind blank except for the song.

"_Nanna ieri, nanna ieri…" _My bare foot took another step closer to the door and slipped. I slapped my hands against the stone wall to regain my balance and bit my lip as I felt the wetness between my toes. _I stepped in blood. Oh hell, I stepped in blood. _I shook my head, and continued. "_E la vita non è la morte…" _I was closer to the doorhandle now. I reached down and placed my hand on it, slowly turning. _"E la morte non è la vita."_ The door creaked open and I quickly hurried outside, pushing it shut behind me. "_La canzone l'è già finite."_

I scanned the area for enemies, but the corridor was empty. I tightened the hold on my wand and breathed out, slowly. _Okay, Ryuu. _A few seconds later I sprinted down the corridor and turned to the right, keeping to the darkness. I was just getting my bearings of my new surroundings when I heard footsteps and froze. A Hogwarts Cat came dashing into sight, pale faced and breathless. I didn't recognise her, and she didn't seem to see me. Her dark brown hair flopped over her wide eyes as she ran, Gryffindor tie flapping behind her. Suddenly, a horrible slicing sound cut through the air and the girl gasped, falling face first to the ground, blood pooling about her. Laughter bounced off the walls as Pansy Parkinson emerged from the darkness, her smirk as sharp as her hex.

I sank into the darkness, heart fluttering in my chest like a butterfly's wings. Even after all these years that laugh still gave me shivers. I could feel my hatred bubbling, but stayed still. Never had I seen such a dangerous glint in Pansy's coal black eyes. She walked daintily over to the dead girl and prodded her idly with a foot. She sniggered. "Should've run faster."

"_Descendo." _I hissed, and Pansy screeched as she was brought down to her knees, and the spell forced onto her stomach. I stood, applying more pressure to keep her down. The walls vibrated from the impact of another bomb. I walked forward, until I was standing above her, her form quivering from the pressure of my spell. She called out again as I rolled her onto her back with my foot.

Her eyes locked onto me and her mouth twisted into a snarl. "_You…" _she managed to blurt out. I twisted my wrist and the force of the spell increased. Pansy's body was flattened against the ground, and she cried out again; a sickening wail that made me cringe. The floor around her began to crack under the pressure, and I released the spell, lest the ground give way.

Instantly she kicked her leg up, knocking the wand from my palm and whacking me backwards. I staggered and fell to my knees, panting. I snapped my head up and raised my wand just as Pansy was sitting up with her wand pointing at me.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _we screamed in unison.

The two bolts of green burst from our wands and joined.

_What the hell? _I thought frantically. My wand began to waver, so I leaned forward, concentrating on Pansy's face which was washed in a green glow. She looked just as shocked as I was. The intensity of her curse heightened, and I continued focusing. I felt my hand heating up, but didn't let it distract me. I physically extended my arm, pushing my spell against Pansy's. _It's linked. The magic is linked. _Pansy swore and extended her own. I tightened my grip. _What's going on? _It was as if Pansy and I were playing at a game of tug-of-war. And I was just winning.

Pansy suddenly broke off her spell and flopped down on the floor. The remnants of my curse flew over the top of her head, missing her hair by an inch. All of a sudden, I was exhausted, and I unsteadily blocked Pansy's relentless attacks with withering shields.

"Well, if it isn't _Little Miss Mudblood!"_ she slashed her wand through the air, getting to her feet and attacking again. I defended… just. _"Little Miss Prefect!" _She aimed for my legs as I came into a standing position. I managed to conjure a shield but it was too high. Her spell sliced a long, burning cut down my thigh and I gasped. Pansy leered and raised her wand, moving closer. "_Little Miss Dead!"_

My defences were just strong enough to deflect her attacks, but her spells went scattering off into different directions, leaving fractures on the walls and on the windows. I glanced briefly at my leg, which was bleeding rapidly. _Dammit. _I jumped aside and deflected another hex, which ricocheted off my shield and cut a slice in the stone wall. I stared at it for a second, before the realisation hit me.

I ducked under another one of Pansy's hexes and retaliated. _"Expelliarmus!" _Pansy had never looked more surprised when her wand flew from her hand and cascaded to the ground. For a second she stood in disbelief, staring at the mudblood who'd just dared to disarm her. A second was all I needed. I swooped in, pushing her up against a wall and jamming my knee into her stomach. She gasped, winded, but I already had my hand at her collar and I locked her in place with my elbow.

She tried to bite my arm, so I kneed her in the stomach again. She yowled, glaring at me with disgust. "How dare you touch me!" she cursed through grit teeth.

I kneed her again. Pansy grunted, but her expression of loathing didn't waver. I reached up and grabbed her chin in my hand, forcing her to look me in the eye. "It was you, wasn't it?" My tone was flat and unforgiving.

"What?" Pansy spat.

I clenched my hand around her collar. "You killed those children in the sealed room."

Pansy smiled wickedly and then did the closest thing she could to tossing her head, when she was pressed up against a wall. "I'd hardly call it a _sealed room,_" She teased. "The concealment charm placed on it was so flimsy I could see the door."

I slapped her, hard, right across the face. I supposed my fingers had always been itching to do that, because the assault had come naturally. Pansy struggled against me, and managed to target her boot onto my wounded leg. I cried out in pain and she pushed herself off the wall by throwing her weight against me. I stumbled back, somehow managing to keep myself upright and raised my wand just as she was about to curse me.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Pansy's wand fell to the floor. I stunned her and she collapsed. Blood ran down her forehead from where she'd struck her head on the ground. "So you killed them?" I said quietly, feeling my fury boil. "You just killed them."

Pansy spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to sit up. She smirked, eyeing me evilly. "They were squealing too loud. It was frustrating. Besides, I could tell just by looking at them that they were all _filthy little mudbloods like you!" _She threw herself to the side, snatching her wand up into her hand and slicing it through the air towards me. I summoned up all of my rage and produced a shield so powerful that it shone silver. Pansy's curse struck it and rebounded, hitting her with full force.

When I lowered my defence I saw Pansy's body. She was crumpled up against the wall, a single cut tracing down her abdomen, blood gushing out in spouts and wells. Her face was still fixed in that expression of surprise and her eyes looked like they were entranced. Her wispy black hair was sticking to the blood coming down from her forehead. Her wand was still clenched in a dead woman's grasp.

I stared down at the body of the girl I had known for so many years. Pansy Parkinson, the bitch who only referred to me as 'It'. Then I remembered the eyes of the young boy Kitten and didn't feel sorry at all.

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Draco

_The Entrance Hall. _I thought I had known Hogwarts like a map in my head, but apparently I was wrong. _Where's Pansy when you need her? _It felt like I'd been running through the same passages over and over, but I couldn't be sure. The castle was so very different in the dark, and with walls exploding and suits of armour jumping out of place and fighting at every turn, I only had a rough idea of where I _could_ be.

For what felt like the thousandth time that night, I knocked out another Death Eater. Some of my opponents had given me a queer look as I'd attacked them, and I could only assume that they knew me. I tried not to take in too much detail of anyone's face. I had naturally slipped into the mindset that my father had taught me. '_There are no people in battle. There are no names or personas. There are allies, and there are enemies. Learn the difference; and attack faster than they do.' _For a long time, I had been mastering non-verbal spells, and now I found myself barely uttering a word. I simply deflected any attacks thrown at me, and either disarmed them or stunned them as soon as I was able.

I had attained some misfortunes however. My left shoulder still felt a little awkward, even after Ryuu had fixed it. Every time I moved it too flamboyantly, or when I performed a rushed counterattack, the bones in my shoulder seemed to creak and my arm ached. Occasionally, my head would throb from the hit I'd acquired during the explosion, but that was only a minor inconvenience. I was also bleeding on my back, but I didn't know how that had occurred. But all of these things I put aside. My father's words were ringing through my mind. _'A man of the Malfoy family is absolutely responsible for the lives of his wife and child. He must protect them with all of his abilities.'_

_With all of my abilities. _I'd been holding her hand… but I let go.

And now we were both in danger.

Up ahead I saw a small figure duelling with a Snatcher. The Snatcher tried to whip his opponent with a stinging jinx, but the figure fought back with a strange curse that made a sound like thunder. A deep purple mist spouted from the end of the small figure's wand, covering the Snatcher's face so he gasped and fell to the ground, choking. "Ryuu?" I called out, stepping closer. As I did, the figure became clearer and I saw that she was female. She stood with her back to me, wand held firmly at her side, breathing loudly. She stiffened as she heard me behind her and whipped around, blue-brown eyes wide.

"_Reeah?!" _I yelled in shock. A taller male stepped up to her side, mouth shaped in a perfect circle. _"Blaise!?" _I blurted.

"_Boss?!" _both of them cried in unison, in the way that couples do.

I stared incredulously at both of them for another second before my mind ticked back into reality. _"HAVE YOU SEEN RYUU?!"_

"_HAVE YOU SEEN MY SISTER?" _Reeah yelled back, lowering her wand and looking at me in appeal.

I narrowed my eyes. _"YOU HAVE A SISTER?!"_

"_YOU HAVE A RYUU?!"_

"_WHO THE HELL IS RYUU?!" _Blaise's booming voice showered over our shouting match.

"She's just-!" Reeah began. Her cheeks flushed red and she turned her eyes downcast. _"-somebody."_

"_Somebody?" _I yelled in amazement. "She's the most important _somebody_ in this entire castle _– AND I'M LOOKING FOR HER!"_

"_DUCK!" _Blaise slammed both of his hands on mine and Reeah's heads and forced us down with him. A fireball rocketed over us, smashing against the wall but continuing to burn. Blaise spun and hexed the three Death Eaters who'd fired at us, then turned back to Reeah and I. "Get your act together! We're in the middle of a warzone here!"

We moved as one being in three bodies, seeking the shadows and bundling into a corner. I peered around and scanned the area for any more attackers. We were alone. For now.

"What happened to you, Malfoy?" Blaise said lowly, standing protectively in front of Reeah so as to block her from attackers in the adjacent corridor.

"How do I get to the Entrance Hall from here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

Blaise shook his head, but acknowledged the urgency of my command. "That's where _He_ is. It's mad there. He and the Death Eaters are killing anyone getting in their way. Friend or foe. Boss…" Blaise stared at me with wide eyes and shook his head. "I have a bad feeling we chose the wrong side. I mean," Blaise looked over his shoulder anxiously. "He's just too dangerous."

I paused for a moment, glad that Blaise had come to his senses. Then I remembered Ryuu. "So the Entrance Hall's blocked?"

Blaise nodded. "It's strange though, everyone seems to be heading that way. I asked Nott and he said that we had to get to the Great Hall."

"Why?"

Blaise shrugged. "Pansy and I were heading that way when-"

"-_I _found Blaise." Reeah interjected quickly.

"What are you talking about, woman?" Blaise looked at her with an expression of amusement. "_I_ saved you from that horde of house elves ."

Reeah flushed and stammered. "Well- there was a lot of them!"

"Face it honey," Blaise said smoothly. "You've always been creeped out by those things."

"_Will both of you shut up_!" I snapped, glaring at them in amazement. To be babbling on about such trivial matters at a time like this… perhaps Ryuu had gone to the Great Hall. It was now clear to me why they're were so few people about. Maybe she went along with the crowd and figured she'd find me there. I turned to Blaise. "Which way is it to the Great Hall?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not certain. Parkinson –the crazy bitch – left us." Reeah cast him a sympathetic glance. "Although…"

"Yes?" I prompted.

The castle trembled. The three of us held our ground, used to it by now. Blaise's gaze slid over to me. "I think we're in the East Wing now, because we definitely passed Transfiguration Corner-"

"-That's right!" Reeah exclaimed, eyes alight. "McGonagall was there with her galloping desks."

"And look," Blaise pointed down the corridor, which forked off on the right and left but had a huge closed door at the end. "That definitely leads outside…"

"To the viaduct." Reeah finished.

I glanced at the door. It was certainly bigger than the doors inside the castle. Blaise had a point. I sighed. _Please be alive. _"Okay, let's go."

At that moment, my right forearm burned. Blaise mumbled "What the…?" Then the pain increased and I grabbed at my arm, grinding my teeth together. Blaise had fallen back, hand on his Dark Mark. Reeah rushed to his side, face pale. I pulled my sleeve away to see that my own Mark was turning darker and the snake was writhing and twisting like it was mad. Then, Blaise's wand; which had skidded out of his hand; lit up at the tip and a white stream of fog poured out. The mist developed and grew bigger, and started forming a shape. I cried out as the pain increased, my arm burning like the day I'd been marked.

Then it stopped.

The mist disappeared as suddenly as the pain. Reeah was swearing severely under her breath. Blaise snapped up into a sitting position and stared at his wand as if it had just spoken parsletongue – which probably would've been less surprising. I looked down at my mark. It had returned to normal.

"What _was_ that? Are you okay?" Reeah spat, after she'd finished cursing.

"I don't know." Blaise said numbly. He was holding his wand with one hand on each end, mouth still agape.

I slid my sleeve back down my arm and struggled to stand. _Ryuu. _"I have to get to the Great Hall." I didn't know what had just happened, but I didn't like it. _It was my Mark. That's where the pain was coming from. Did it only effect Death Eaters or did Ryuu feel it too? _I glanced over at Reeah and registered that she hadn't felt it. _Just males then? But why?_ I picked up my wand and pushed my hair out of my eyes, legs aching. All of the running I'd done had taken its toll.

Reeah wobbled as she got to her feet. "Maybe my sister will be there," she mumbled to herself as she breathed a loud sigh and helped Blaise up. "C'mon." she nudged him in a tired sort of way. "Get up," she said again, but Blaise seemed to be in a state of shock. Reeah scowled and thumped him on the back. "Come on!" Blaise sprang to his feet and threw her a harsh stare, but kept his mouth shut. I began to run down the corridor, glancing around for enemies.

"Why are we running _toward_ the chaos?" came Blaise's exasperated voice from behind.

"To find my sister." Reeah said smoothly.

"To find Ryuu." I added.

I heard Blaise sigh and pick up his pace. Reeah was only a step behind me, a flittering shadow that was just as desperate as I was. I wondered if Ryuu was near the Great Hall, or if she'd gotten caught up in the horror of the Entrance Hall. I banished the image from my mind. _Please don't be dead. _

When I was in front of the huge double doors leading outside, I heard a noise to my left. A throaty grumble, like a growl. I snapped my head around and froze as I saw the werewolf. It was crouched not too far away, and staring straight at us with deep, sad brown eyes. It's fur was mostly brown with streaks of grey running through it. It was tall and lanky, with twisted claws and small jagged teeth. I felt myself freeze in place as I stared at it. I heard Reeah gasp beside me, a sound so loud that the wolf tilted its head to look at her. It took a step closer, the light of the full moon showing its face in full clarity.

Blaise's arm snapped up, wand pointing at the creature. He was just about to speak when Reeah slapped a hand over his mouth and hissed _"No!" _

The wolf watched this interaction, gaze focusing on Reeah for a moment before looking over at me. It was breathing heavily, as if it was waiting to pounce. I stayed completely still, trying desperately to remember what to do next. Professors had lectured us for hours about werewolves, but now that I was looking at one all of the information seemed to have leaked out of my head. I could feel my pulse racing, as the wolf moved again. And then, to my absolute astonishment, the wolf made a small whining sound and tilted its head to the left in a kind of sideways nod. Then it turned, and ran away. I released a breath, the shock finally fading away. Weary, I leaned against the door, only half hearing what Blaise and Reeah were saying.

"What the hell were you thinking Reeah?!"

"At least I _was_ thinking," she snapped before scoffing. "Raising a wand at a werewolf… honestly could you be any thicker?"

"It would've killed us!"

"No it wouldn't. Didn't you see – that wasn't any normal werewolf. It's pupils weren't dilated, it wasn't quivering with ferocity and furthermore, it _wasn't_ trying to kill us." She sighed, her voice returning to a calmer tone. "It was obviously under the effects of a Wolfsbane Potion. Its human mind was active. It probably wouldn't have tried to hurt _us_ as long as we didn't try to hurt _it."_

Blaise stared at her as if she'd just recited every one of his family members since the beginning of his line. "How did you know that?"

I pushed myself off the door, the sounds of their argument calming me down. I tapped my wand on the handle and the doors began to creak open. "We learnt it in Potions a few years ago, dumbass." She explained. Reeah had always been very good at Potions.

It was darker outside, but random flashes of coloured light flecked the night like light snow on a tree branch. The viaduct stretched for approximately thirty feet across the choppy black waters of the lake below. Horrible crashing and tearing noises exploded in my ears as I stood in the doorway, and I felt the viaduct tremble uncertainly. Blaise stepped up beside me and cautiously prodded the wooden panelled floor with the toe of his boot. It creaked heavily, moaning in protest. "Merlin's beard…" he murmured. "This thing could come down at any minute."

"I think it already has," Reeah whispered, pointing to the middle of the viaduct. A large gap was rent into the floor and several parts of the roof had been blasted away. Somehow, it was still holding in place, but looked as if the slightest breeze could cause the entire bridge to collapse.

"What do you say, Boss?" Blaise glanced at me with a glint in the corner of his eye. I knew what he was thinking.

"You cannot be serious." Reeah said with wide blue eyes. "We'd never make it."

"Not if we took it one step at a time," Blaise agreed. "But, if we _ran_ across, and made sure not to tred too heavily…"

"_How_ does that make sense?!"

"I'm just saying-"

"_Shut up!" _I snapped, turning towards them. They shrank back slightly, like children caught in the act of sneaking about. "The both of you are squabbling on like an old married couple. I can _barely _hear myself think. Have you forgotten that we're in the middle of a war here?"

Blaise crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his shoes. Reeah flushed and cleared her throat. "Sorry Boss," they said clumsily under their breath.

At that moment, a thunderous smash echoed from down the hallway. We whipped around, wands held up, staring into the darkness. Another crash, and the floor trembled in distaste. And again, and again. I raised my wand higher. A horribly large, twisted grey tree trunk of a leg appeared in the moonlight. The floor shuddered again as the other leg came into view and a groan seeped through the darkness.

"A _troll."_ Blaise whispered in disbelief.

_Thud._ It took another step closer and roared. The sound was so loud that my hands snapped upwards to cover my ears. Reeah was pushed backwards, and slammed into me. Blaise helped her steady herself, and the troll took another step forwards. Its head reached almost to the arched roof of the corridor, its ugly face swinging dopily around. An enormous club that could've been a pine tree sagged in its right hand. As I stared its piggy little eyes slowly looked at us, and the troll stopped groaning. Then it roared, the sound vibrating around the castle and began to charge, footsteps crashing into the floor.

I grabbed Blaise's shoulder and his face looked over at me, dark eyes wide in terror. _"Hold on to me!" _I yelled above the noise, and Blaise looped an arm around Reeah's waist and latched on to my arm. I turned, staggering slightly as the troll came closer and pointed my wand down to the other end of the viaduct. I sighted a target and breathed out, trying to clear my head. _"Carpe Retractum!" _I screamed and a bolt of lava coloured light sprang from the tip of my wand and latched onto the door at the other end of the viaduct.

Then, like the release of elastic, Reeah, Blaise and myself were wrenched through the viaduct, the troll's massive fist missing us by inches. The bridge shuddered around us, and our legs thwacked into the sides. Reeah was shrieking in my ear, Blaise's yell was louder. My throat had gone dry and I found that all I could do was stare. We whizzed through the viaduct, cold air blasting onto my face. My feet skidded along the floor and one of the floorboards came loose and flew up into my chest, winding me. I drew my legs inwards, but that only seemed to make me go faster. Blaise's grip was locked in place, and I felt as if I was going to get two dislocations in one night. The door was getting closer and closer, in fact… too close. I cried out and kicked my legs in front of me to lessen the impact. The timber gave way, and the spell released. We were thrown down the stairs, our limbs bashing against the stone. We rolled all the way to the bottom, sprawled across the ground and lay still.

I tried to breathe again, but ended up coughing. Ruefully, I hauled my broken body into a sitting position, flexing my feet and shaking the dizziness from my head. I looked around, eyes weary. I was sitting on the cobbled stone walkway which led up to the back of the Great Hall. The gardens around us were littered with vibrant flowerbeds that had been scorched by dark magic, and the fountain was a ruin, with water flooding around it. Several bodies, including one of a centaur, lay lifeless in the grass. I turned my head to look at the viaduct. The first half of it had crumbled, and was hanging down the cliff face. I could still hear the terrible cries of the troll ripping through the night. I unsteadily got to my feet, shakily walking over to where Reeah and Blaise were sitting, at the base of the stairs.

The stairway was embedded in the hill which led up the viaduct entrance - which was now demolished. I shook the aches and pains from my body as I stood over Reeah and Blaise. Reeah's dark, purple tinted hair was windblown, and standing straight up in odd places. She knelt beside Blaise, who was lying down, and cradled her wrist close to her body. She took a deep breath and rotated it, stretching her fingers. With a final shake she picked up her wand again and looked up at me with a pale face. "Thanks." She mumbled.

Blaise shook his head, rolling over onto his side and regarding me with an expression of exhaustion. "Never again… _ever."_

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was absent._

_In mind, at least. She flicked through the pages of the old book she usually enjoyed, bored. She was seven and one quarter, and home alone. Her parents had told her that she was old enough to take care of herself now. The girl had thought that this would be a great opportunity to do whatever she wanted, however the girl was having trouble thinking of what she wanted to do. She sighed and closed the book, lazily placing it back on the shelf. She strolled over to the window, propping up onto her tippy toes and leaning against the windowsill to stare at the world outside. She could've spent some time out, but the clouds in the sky had taken on the light grey complexion that promised rain. Her mother had told her that playing in the rain was what had made the girl ill last time. _

_The girl shifted the focus of her vision, the outside world blurring and the window capturing the girl's reflection. She watched herself tilt her head to the side, a strand of blonde hair falling over her eyes. She blew it away from her face and rocked back onto her heels, hands still on the window sill. As her feet went flat onto the floor, the palm of her hand twitched in pain as her skin scraped over something sharp on the sill. She gasped, pulling her hand towards her. A shallow scrape slid down her palm, and red blood began to drip out from the end. _

_Any other young girl might have cried out for her parents, but this girl was alone, and she knew what to do. She walked over to the coffee table, where she'd placed her drink of water. Gingerly, she pulled a silk hanky from her pocket and dipped it into the water. She squeezed most of the liquid back into the glass and dabbed around the cut with the damp cloth, wincing at the cool touch of the water against her scratch._

_Once she'd cleared the blood away, she wrapped the wet hanky around her hand and went back to the window, eyes scanning for the culprit. A loose piece of metal on the frame had a slightly sharper edge than the rest of the frame, and was dripping with her blood. The girl frowned. She's have to tell her Daddy about that later. _

_Suddenly, the girl felt a warm tingling feeling prickling the skin of her injured hand. She glanced down at the damp hanky, her frown increasing in suspicion. The strange feeling stopped, but the girl's curiosity hadn't. She carefully unwrapped the cloth from her hand and gasped as she looked down at her small pink palm. _

_The scratch was gone, and the skin was completely healed._

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A/N: There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and narrowly escaping a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them. Seriously, I have no idea how the eleven year old Harry, Ron and Hermione ever managed to stand up and face a mountain troll. I would've done exactly what the seventeen year old Slytherin trio just did. As my Beta read through this chapter, she commented that I'd mirrored Blaise and Reeah as Ron and Hermione and Draco as Harry – which I hadn't realised I'd been doing! Still, I love them working together.

Pansy, the crazy bitch, needed to die. No further explanation required.

I tried to write as much chaos and magic into the fight scenes as possible, hope I pulled it off…

Also the Italian lullaby Ryuu sings is not mine. I found it here: ?t=es&p=2195&c=120

And my song for this chapter is 'Run' by Snow Patrol.


	46. Chapter 24 - Asleep

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Everything has to end. My Beta and I spent a long time discussing how I would finish Dragons Among Serpents, and eventually settled on the fact that nothing is forever.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 24 – Asleep

Draco

A huge hole had been blown into the wall, transforming the back of the Great Hall into an accessible entrance. But Blaise was correct. _Everyone_ had come to the Great Hall.

The room was segregated into Voldemort and his Death Eaters on the right and the forces of Hogwarts in the left. The left side was a lot narrower than the right side, which spread over the halfway mark of the Hall. Spells ricocheted off the walls, striking people down where they stood. Lights flashed as both sides continued to fire at each other, the people in the front lines duelling, and the ones in the back acting as distance attackers, firing curses in huge arcs over to the other side. Centaurs galloped behind the Death Eaters, skewering the ones on the outskirts of the mob with arrows. In the gap between the two armies was where the bodies had been put. My eyes scrolled over the faces, some of them familiar. One of the Weasley twins – I could never tell them apart – was lying near the edge. His family was above him, protecting his body from the enemy. A few feet away from that was the body of that shabby Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher I'd had in third year. He was lying next to the small frame of my cousin Nymphadora, who I'd apparently met once when we were small children. My eyes flitted over the bodies of Lavender Brown, Walden Macnair and Alecto Carrow, searching for any sign of blonde curls. After checking twice, I sighed in relief. Ryuu wasn't among the dead.

Blaise, Reeah and I waited outside of the building, hiding behind a pile of rubble. I watched as Voldemort stepped to the front of the battle, grinning like a maniac and twirling his wand through the air, devastation leaking forth. My aunt was at his side, laughing wildly, black hair never looking more disarrayed. I looked at Voldemort's immediate side for my father, but was surprised when I couldn't find him.

A commotion in one corner of the room drew my eye. Two unfamiliar Cats, a Hufflepuff with dark hair and a pale Gryffindor with wide brown eyes were being pushed into a corner by a crowd of ten Death Eaters. The Hufflepuff ground his teeth as he hexed one of his enemies, but the Death Eater deflected it easily. The Gryffindor boy was next to him, looking fearful. Suddenly, the Hufflepuff was disarmed and his wand was lost beneath a pile of debris. He stared at the floor where his wand had disappeared before swearing and turning back to the Gryffindor.

"We're doomed." He said deeply.

The Gryffindor boy stared around at each of the Death Eaters surrounding them, dark blonde hair practically standing up in fear. He tentatively took a step forward, raising his wand.

"Dennis, what are you doing?!" The Hufflepuff yelled. "We're done for!"

Something seemed to flicker across Dennis's face and his lips stopped trembling. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Dennis, there's no point! _Dennis-!"_

"_SHUT UP, ZACH!" _Dennis yelled, his voice so powerful that Zach's eyes widened and his mouth closed. Dennis's eyes flicked open, the light of a spell catching them and making them flash a deep crimson. He stepped forward, pushing his wand out and splaying the fingers of his other hand. A shield burst from the tip of his wand, cascading outwards in a massive orb that knocked the approaching Death Eaters from their feet, unconscious. Several unlucky people that weren't the target were knocked backwards, and the area around the two Cats was cleared in a ten foot radius.

Reeah cried out in alarm and I returned my attention to her. She jumped up, running over the top of the rubble and embracing a blonde haired, blue eyed girl who looked about fifteen. "That must be her," Blaise said and moved into the battle. I ran after him, deflecting spells and ducking under curses. We joined Reeah at the back of the army, distant curses shattering around our feet like glass. I looked down along the wall and saw a legless Granger seated atop a glossy brown mare. I blinked in shock and jumped out of the way of a killing curse, continuing to watch the scene. Ronald Weasley was also on the horse, seated behind Granger. They both had their wands raised, and were yelling down to Potter, who was standing below them next to Professor Snape. I found myself moving closer, and then running. I got within a few feet of Snape's back when I started to overhear their conversation.

"It didn't work," Potter yelled at Snape, shattered glasses doing little to hide the frustration in his eyes. "We _have_ to think of another plan!"

"No, Harry." Granger screamed after firing a hex across the room. "The plan's fine, we just need more power! It started working, you _saw _that!"

"We don't _have_ any more power!" Potter replied.

"He's right," Weasley said, glancing at each of them. "Our forces are dwindling by the minute." His blue eyes locked onto Harry's. "There must be another way."

Potter turned back to Snape, mouth about to speak, when his eyes caught sight of me. Snape followed his stare and whipped around, moving faster than I could anticipate. He snatched a hold of my collar, pulling me towards him and spat at me in his snide tone. _"Malfoy_, I _sincerely_ hope that the Dark Lord hasn't sent you over here to take care of _business_."

"No!" I spluttered, holding my hands up in surrender. "I'm not _His_ anymore. I'm on _your _side." I glanced over at Weasley, Granger and finally Potter, barely believing I'd said the words myself. They looked as surprised as I felt.

Snape glared at me with narrowed glassy-black eyes. After another twist in the corner of his mouth his hand loosened and my feet flattened on the ground again. There was another tremble in the castle and the horse whinnied. I adjusted my collar and glanced around at the four of them. Potter stepped closer, eyes afire and tone unnaturally flat. "Then what are you doing here, _Malfoy?"_ The way he said my name said it all, really.

I met his gaze, feeling the adrenalin pumping through my veins. "I was just looking for Ryuu, _Potter." _At the mention of the name, Potter's stare wavered and I noticed that the horse swung its head around. When I looked over I saw that Weasley was frowning and Granger had a small smile wafting on her lips. "Have you seen her?" I asked all of them.

"No…" Potter began, brow furrowing at my tone. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, what-?"

Suddenly, there was a far off noise, as if someone had yelled from two rooms away. Then, a wave of force pulsed through the room and I was thrown against the wall, shoulder slamming painfully against the stone. My ears thrummed with a high pitch ringing noise. I slid down to the floor, numbly aware that my body was screaming at me to stand. _No wait… that's Potter. _

I blinked, pulling my head from the wall and looked around. Several of the Cats' frontline forces had just fallen. Because of the mass of people separating us from the full force of the battle, we'd hardly felt the explosion. The Death Eaters moved forwards again, Voldemort was smiling and the air seemed to thicken with the sound of war. Potter kicked at me again. "Malfoy, get up!"

I complied, roughly dragging my body through the movements it took to stand. When I was finally on my feet I looked down at my left hand to make sure that my wand was still there. It was. I tightened my hold and opened my dry lips. "What _was_ that?"

"_Reducto!" _Granger yelled. She winced as the echo of her explosion rang through the room. "They're getting closer, Harry!"

Weasley looked down at Harry, cheeks red with anger. "We need to do it _now!"_

Potter tensed and I turned to Snape, who was standing rigid. "Do what?" I said.

Snape snarled, voice booming_. "End_ it! To use the power of the _priori incantatem _to immobilise every single Death Eater and _destroy_ The Dark Lord!"

His tone coursed through my mind, making my heart thud in my chest and my mouth gape. _Priori incantatem?_ _That means that…_ the realisation washed over me like cold water. _Priori incantatem… the magic that momentarily brings back the dead. Imprints of love and soul in spirit form…_ I remembered the burning sensation that had pulsed through my Mark before, and the strange mist that had come from Blaise's wand. _Every single Death Eater… will die. _My stomach sank and I felt the breath catch in my throat. _I will die. _The thought ceased all other stray emotions and processes in my mind. Suddenly, my heart beat felt like the ticking of a clock.

I stared at Snape, who's eyes had hardened to chips of granite, and lamely opened my mouth. "I… I need to find Ryuu…"I whispered.

"_Fool!"_ Snape spat. "The end is nigh and all you can say is-" he stopped, stricken. His face froze and his hooked nose twitched. Snape looked over to the battle beyond, closing his mouth, eyes glinting with a new idea. He turned back to me and shoved me in the shoulder, hard. I staggered, staring at him in astonishment. But he barely seemed to notice. "Go." He said with an urgency I'd never heard in his voice before. I hesitated. _"GO!"_ he yelled again, and I turned and ran along the wall, slipping along the outskirts of the crowd and managing to make it through the door unscathed.

Once I was out of the Great Hall, I looked around wildly, trying to think like Ryuu. _Where did you go, where did you go?! _My heart was ticking again, so I grit my teeth and turned right, flying up the first stairway I saw.

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Ryuu

_Where is everybody? _I thought as I ran through the castle, clutching my bleeding waist and breathing shallowly. I hadn't seen anyone since I'd killed Pansy, and the emptiness disturbed me more than finding corridors filled with Death Eaters, or classrooms ridden with centaurs, goblins and other creatures. But this hollowness made me feel as if I was the last person in this castle. _Aimlessly running around and around, until I keel over and die_.

I was running out of strength.

The next room I turned into looked uncomfortably familiar. It was low-ceilinged but long and wide, with two rows of pillars running symmetrical down the room, dividing the space into thirds. Moonlight spilled into the area through ornate glass windows on my left, but shadow reigned to the right.

I lit my wand and searched the darkness with my eyes, trying to catch my breath and lower the speed of my heart rate. I didn't see any movement in the dark, so I hobbled over beside the window, and leaned against the sill. The wound in my leg ached, but didn't hurt as badly as my waist. Every time I took a breath I felt like a knife was stabbing into me and twisting cruelly. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to remember a time when my body wasn't ridden with scars, but couldn't.

I craned my neck and chanced a sideways glance out the window, eyes widening as I took in the sight. Littered upon the stone courtyard outside was the enormous body of what could only be a giant. It's huge face was twisted into an ugly scowl and its watery eyes were still open. The bodies of Death Eaters and Cats alike were gathered around it, some of them toppled over the other. _No matter our differences we all fall down the same way, _I thought oddly.

At that second, I heard a rustle behind me and whipped around, eyes frantically searching the darkness. All was still. I raised my wand and took a step forward, firing a curse off to my left. Part of the room was momentarily tinted in green, then the curse hit the wall and died. I listened again, waiting. The room was so quiet I wondered whether or not I had lost my sense of sound. I released a breath, slowly turning.

A hand struck out from the dark, encircling my throat in one cruel strike and squeezing the breath out of me. I croaked and spluttered, still partially in shock, and then the trembling began. The force of the hand tightened, and I felt it constrict further. _I can't breathe. _Tears sprang to my eyes as I uselessly kicked my feet and swung my arms around. I felt an impact and the darkness slipped away from my attacker, and Lucius Malfoy stared blankly at me with cold grey eyes. I tried to speak, but my throat only rasped under the pressure. My vision began to waver. And for a second all I could hear was my pulse hammering in my ears.

I was dropped. I still couldn't breathe. I tried to suck in oxygen, but my lungs only accepted a little bit. I was on all fours, black spots clouding my sight. Lucius's boot seemed to move in slow motion. It slammed into my torso, sending me spinning through the air and crashing down on the floor again, choking and gasping. I felt the leather cord around my wrist, but couldn't think of trying to reach my wand. My mind was only capable of one brief thought. _Breathe! _When I tried, all that happened was a crackling cough that clawed at my body. I blinked, vision steadying on the blood that had just spouted from my mouth.

My chest felt as if it was on fire. I'd known pain, but none like this. I could feel it was internal, and every move I made only increased its magnitude. I vaguely heard the sound of footsteps approaching and heard the little voice whisper in my brain. _Your wand. _I tried to open my eyes. _Raise your wand, Ryuu. _My fingers edged along the leather cord dragging my weapon closer into my hand.

"_Crucio!"_

I hadn't realised I could still scream. I'd never heard myself yell like that. It sounded inhuman, I felt like I was hearing myself from a far distance. The pain ceased and Lucius ducked down, grabbing my collar and pulling me close, snarling. "You would _dare_ to raise your hand against _me._" His glare was so full of pain, and I tried to understand. _Leave me alone, please just leave me alone. _My eyes began to close.

I was thrown aside, my head cracking against the wall. The world went awry. Black spots seeped across my vision. Pain slammed against my body again, but I could barely cry out anymore. _Wake up Ryuu, _my father's voice yelled in my mind. _Wake up. _

"You _corrupted_ my son," Lucius spat, hitting me with a hex that took what little breath I had away from me. My head lolled against the stone, I could still feel the tears on my face. The little voice in my head fell silent. "My wife is _dead!"_ His voice yelled the last word. I uselessly stared up at Lucius. _He doesn't look like Draco at all, _I observed. My head was pounding from lack of oxygen. I felt myself slipping in and out from reality. _Wake up._ _Wake up._

Lucius leaned close, grey eyes like chips of stone. He snarled. "You will never besmirch the name of Malfoy again!" he spat.

Everything seemed to move at a tenth of its normal speed. I watched Lucius stand up straight and begin to lift his wand. His lips moved, promising a curse. I couldn't close my eyes. My heart was slowing, and for a split second I felt peaceful. Perhaps a part of me had known deep down that tonight would be it. I just hadn't expected it to be so painful. Yes, I could still feel the pain. For once it wasn't in my mind.

_It will be over soon. _The voice sounded like Luna's.

_Yes, _I agreed. _It will._

There was a flash of emerald-

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Severus

Once the Malfoy boy had run away, I hurried over to where Miss Granger was seated upon the horse-woman, looking positively freakish with no legs. She regarded me with surprise as I spoke to her in a prompt, clipped tone. "The _priori incantatem_ does not only need numbers to harness its power, but emotion." She frowned at me, right to do so. Never had I felt more ridiculous, with what I was about to say. But the realisation had come to me from that foolhardy boy. The desperation in his eyes… I'd recognised it.

Dumbledore had said the same before the battle. I remembered him sitting at his desk, hands tightening around the arms of his chair. "Severus, there is more to the wraiths produced from the _priori incantatem_ than we can understand. They are fragments from the souls of the deceased; pure representations of the love they felt in their former lives." His blue eyes had looked up at me, sharper than knives. "All men feel love… save _one."_

I returned to the present. "Tell everyone to think of friends, family… someone they _love."_ I closed my mouth firmly as Granger and the Weasley boy stared down at me with raised eyebrows.

A flicker of understanding pricked Granger's pale face and she gasped. "You mean-"

"_Now!"_ I commanded, regaining my composure. The animagus sensed my order and galloped away, rearing around the crowd. I watched for a moment as the both of them leaned down to people in the back ranks and spoke with them in rushed tones. _The message will pass._

I span around. He was standing a few feet away, restlessly pacing, the Weasley girl shouting advice at him. I swooped in and seized Potter by the scruff of the neck and glared down into her eyes. As always, a part of me was confused that there were cheap glasses over_ her_ green stare. _"Potter," _I spat out the loathed word. "We will try this _one more time_… prepare yourself."

I loosened my hand and he backed away, grinding his teeth. "What are we _supposed_ to do?" He motioned towards the Dark Lord's army with his arm. "We already tried the plan once, and Voldemort's still as strong as ever-!"

My hand struck him across the face, firm and relentless. I thought about all of the opportunities I'd had to do that over the years, but realised that it hadn't felt as wonderful as I'd imagined. Potter snapped into a state of wide eyed wakefulness, the red blotch on his cheek beginning to fade. The Weasley girl plastered a tirade of curses at me, but thankfully they were merely verbal. I only had eyes for Potter.

"The Dark Lord _is_ stronger than ever, so I suggest that you _get your act_ together, Potter," I yelled. "It's _only_ the entire world at stake."

The boy looked as if he was about to speak but instead he straightened up and looked me full in the eye, like the way she used to. "What must I do?"

"Gather the forces. Engage in combat." I pulled out my wand and held his eye. Ruefully, I twisted my mouth and let the words spill out. "Think of your mother." _I will be. _

Potter raised his eyebrows. "What?"

I scowled in annoyance. _Thick. Just like his father… _"Just _do it_, Potter." I was just about to turn away when the Weasley girl leapt towards me.

"Wait!" she shouted, brown eyes wide. She pointed at the soldiers closest to us, who were firing hexes over the crowds. "He's too fast; Harry will be killed if he takes a step past these ranks."

I looked out to the crowd of Death Eaters, watching the Dark Lord approach with ruthless skill. I remembered what it had felt like to fight on His side, the constant fear that he would entrap you in his malignant hold if you defied even the slightest command. _They will never stop. Not while the Dark Lord still lives._ The girl was right. Potter would barely make it to the front of the crowd before the Dark Lord slew him. It was only by chance that He had appeared in the battle when Potter was fighting at the forefront last time. Even then, he'd barely had enough time to cast his spell as the Dark Lord attacked. And that attempt had failed. Everyone had been too afraid of His presence that the _emotion_ hadn't connected with the magic. I looked around the Great Hall, gathering together the alternatives in my mind. _If only there was a way to distract Him for just a moment, and Potter could have his chance. _

The realisation suddenly came to me and I paused, flicking my black hair from my eyes. _I should have ran, _I thought morbidly, but it was too late for that now. I breathed deeply and gripped my wand tight. "_You have a second chance Severus, a chance to redeem yourself." _Dumbledore had told me so many times. _The bastard. He probably knew all along I would have to do this… _I glanced at Potter. _For her. _

I walked over to him soberly and showed him one last indifferent stare. _"I_ will provide a distraction." I began in a cool tone, absorbing her eyes one last time. "You will only have one chance, Potter…" I leaned in close, forcing him to look at me. _"…make it count." _

The green eyes wavered, before hardening and losing all trace of her. He nodded.

I ran, pushing my way past people, forcing myself to the front. Anyone who tried to attack me, was knocked down with one fluent swipe of my wand. _How peculiar, _I thought. _That I would end it this way. _As I came to the edge of the two battles, the spells only intensified. I kept a shield held firmly in position, as I scanned the front ranks of the Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange was at the Dark Lord's immediate left, cackling and killing in the ecstasy of battle. As a centaur fell before me, I jumped over its huge body, took a deep breath and lowered my shield.

Instantly a rainfall of spells fell about me, but I eyed Bellatrix and struck her with a stinging hex. She screeched and stumbled, casting her dark eyes around for the perpetrator. When she saw me she grinned. "Sevvy, dear Sevvy… did you just attack _me?"_ I didn't reply, and fired a paralysis jinx at her. She deflected it, gasping in amused surprise. The Dark Lord looked over his shoulder, noticing me for the first time. I sincerely hoped Potter was using his time well.

"Why, Severus," the Dark Lord said almost pleasantly. He held his arms wide in a gesture of acceptance. "So nice of you to join us."

I felt my legs go numb, but still refused to speak. This time I mumbled a killing curse and directed it at both of them, but they jumped out of the way. _"You traitor!"_ Bellatrix squealed like a harpy, and lunged at me, firing green bolts in every direction.

I dodged and retaliated, attacking quickly and silently, mirroring Bellatrix. "Interesting that you would refer to_ me_ as a traitor, Bellatrix." I said smoothly. "Did He not murder your _dear Narcissa?"_

Bellatrix hesitated just for a moment, staring at me with glistening eyes. "Wh-what?" her wand lowered slightly. _"Cissy…" _

_She doesn't know He killed her. _I took my chance, using her confusion to my advantage. Before she could think of reacting, I'd hit her full in the chest with a killing curse. Her mouth snapped open, winded, she staggered back, falling onto the ground with an expression of utter shock still etched onto her face.

I had a small moment of victory before I looked up and saw The Dark Lord's green curse bulleting into me.

_Lily._

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Draco

"RYUU!" The hallways were completely deserted now. I dashed through them, wildly searching, the clock in my chest ticking with every breath I took. _Please be alive. _A horrible image of Ryuu's tiny body lying still surfaced in my mind and I cried out again. "RYUU?!"

I wheeled around a corner and stopped in my tracks. The short corridor was bathed in moonlight, and it was clear to see the marks left on the ground. I hurried towards them, kneeling down to get a closer look. _Blood. _The red prints were dotted across the ground, dragging near the end of the corridor. It wasn't an entire footprint, but I could clearly see some of the toes and all of the heel. I couldn't be certain if they were Ryuu's but they looked small enough. I got to my feet and followed the trail, breathing heavily. I turned around several bends and at one stage I had to backtrack completely when I came to a dead end.

After about ten minutes of following the trail, I heard a horrible scream. The sound echoed off the walls, burrowing into my eardrums and making me stop and stare at the direction in which it was coming from. _Ryuu? _I took a step forward. Then, as suddenly as it started the scream was cut off. "No…" I whispered and ran. I tore down the passage, shoes thumping over carpet, stone and jumping over cold flesh.

The noises grew clearer. I heard a thud and then a muffled voice. I ran faster, legs moving off their own accord. _Please be alive. _I gripped my wand tighter as I turned into a corner. _Ryuu, please. _I burst into the space, a dark corridor with pillars running down the centre, and caught sight of the two figures near the windows. My eyes widened as I took in Ryuu, lying broken against the wall, eyes glazing over. The other figure was bigger, and standing over her, back to me. _No! _I saw movement as the shape raised its wand-

-and I cast.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

The bolt of emerald green lashed out from the tip of my wand, and struck the figure hard in the back. It fell silently, wand clattering to the floor.

For a second I stood frozen in disbelief. The spell had come so instantly that I hadn't even thought about it. I'd just… killed. My hand shook and my wand dropped to the floor. I realised I'd been holding my breath and breathed in, still unable to avert my eyes from the fallen figure on the ground. I edged forward, moving like I was walking through a thick plasma, until I stood above the body.

My father's face was turned on its side and his sharp grey eyes were staring up at me. I didn't feel myself dropping to my knees, but the next thing I knew I was on the ground beside him. My mouth sagged as I looked at what I had done. "Father," I murmured, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder. He didn't move. I felt like I wanted to scream, but my throat was dry with shock. I assumed that I was crying, but felt no tears on my cheeks. I should've felt sick, but all I felt was hollow. _I killed him. My father. _Gingerly, I raised my hands to his glaring eyes and closed them, registering numbly how cold his skin felt.

"_Draco…" _

Her voice broke as she spoke. My head snapped upwards. For a time, I'd forgotten that Ryuu was there. I gasped as I really looked at her, the blood that had soaked into her shirt, the pale complexion of her face, the limbs that appeared to be broken; but the most salient aspect of Ryuu at that time was her stare. Her eyes locked on to me, tear stained and tired. Her lips moved as if to speak, but then her eyes closed and her head rolled to the side, limp.

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Severus

I'd only felt it for a millisecond; every system and fibre of my body suddenly ending. However, the pain had been so intense that I'd wondered how I'd ever functioned in my existence without knowing that that was how it finished. But then it was done. Then _I_ was done.

But not quite.

When I came to, I was floating out of the tip of Voldemort's wand. _Voldemort. _The name seemed dull to me now. How had I ever been so afraid to speak it before? The Great Hall was much the same as it had been when I'd died, so I assumed that it had only been a few seconds. Strange, seeing as I felt like I'd been roughly awakened from a deep, dreamless slumber. I looked down at my transparent body, and moved my arms. My robes weren't tattered at all, and when I felt the top of my head and I realised that my hair was neatly combed. I looked down again, at the ground which was now very far below - along with the rest of the world. It seemed natural to float, and I absently wondered why I'd never tried before.

Voldemort's face was wrought with extreme rage, and for some reason I felt no understanding for that. I looked down the magic line of _prior incantatem_ to see Harry on the other end, face focused- an expression I'd never seen him wear in any educational scenario.

For some absurd reason I chuckled under my breath at the jibe. Then I shook my misty head, to clear it and looked down at Voldemort again.

More wraiths like me where spouting out of the tip of his wand and gathering around, looking on at the scene; some with keen interest, and others with vague indifference. Screams erupted from the right side of the Hall. I watched as the Death Eaters began to keel over, clutching their forearms. White figures began to emerge from their wands, drifting through each Death Eater elegantly. When the wraiths had walked through their target, the Death Eater or Snatcher fell to the ground, unconscious. _Just like Dumbledore said, _I thought. _All men feel love. _I looked over to where Voldemort was, yelling in frustration, promising to kill Harry at that moment. _Save one. _

I wafted down to where the other wraiths were massing, over the litter of unconscious Death Eaters behind Voldemort. I moved to the front, waiting for the right moment. I knew what I had to do, as if I had been thoroughly instructed. When I looked around at the rest of us, I knew that we all had the same agenda.

It was almost time.

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Draco

"_Ryuu!" _

I crawled to her side, grabbing her shoulder and shaking. "Ryuu, wake up!" She remained still. Panicking, I held her face in my hands, leaving stains of blood on her cheeks. "Ryuu," I said, and waited. My heart ticked and I felt my composure snap. _"Wake up!" _I screamed at her. _"Don't do this!"_

But Ryuu's eyes didn't open.

_No, no, no. _I pulled her away from the wall, holding her in my arms. She sagged against me, lighter than she looked. The blood was still seeping from her waist and it soaked into my shirt. I blinked, and a tear fell onto her cheek. "Wake up," I whispered, but as always she never complied. "Open your eyes. Please, just…" I hugged her lifeless body. "…just stop being dead, _please." _

She wasn't warm anymore. The chill of the room began to seep into me. _She's dead. She's dead. Just like Mother. And… Father. _I held her close, trying to remember what she'd felt like before. If she was alive, she would've hugged me back. She would've leaned her head on my shoulder, or buried it into my chest if she was crying. If she was alive.

But I was too late.

"I'm sorry." I whispered into her ear, even though she could no longer hear me. _"I'm so sorry…" _ I kissed her forehead, rested my face against hers and closed my eyes.

Pain knifed into my right forearm, but I grit my teeth, holding her closer. My heart ticked faster in my chest, and I waited. _Kill me, yes, kill me. There's nothing here for me now. _I looked down at Ryuu's calm face and wondered if there was an afterlife. My mother had said there was. The pain increased and I gasped, a sound catching my attention. I looked over to where my wand lay about a foot away from me. A white substance was spiralling from the tip and forming into a figure. The mist rose higher and a shape formed. The stinging in my arm stopped. I stared in shock.

My father, Lucius Malfoy, was standing before me, translucent. _A ghost? _I thought instantly, but something told me this wasn't so. Whatever it was, it was staring down at me with an expression I'd never seen before. I pulled Ryuu closer, protectively and felt along the ground for my wand. Unsteadily, for the second time in my life and I pointed my wand at my father. His head tilted to the side and then his gaze slid down to Ryuu. He looked again at me, and then _smiled._ I froze. I hadn't seen my father smile in… a very long time.

When he spoke his voice sounded like an echo of what it used to be. _"Draco, my son."_

I lowered my wand. "Father."

My father's face was serious, but not stern. _"Take better care of her than I did of mine."_

I nodded, the only reply I could muster. _I would have. I should have. _I leaned in closer to Ryuu and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. The beating of my heart was erratic, fluttering inconsistently with my new-found calm, as if the ticking was out of synch. I frowned, and placed a hand on Ryuu's chest. My eyes widened as I felt the light pulse of her heart. _Hold on… _Hurriedly, I moved my hand to her stomach, which was rising and falling ever so softly. _She's alive!_ _She was just unconscious the whole time!_

"_Lucius." _

_That voice. _I looked over my shoulder. My mother stood as elegant as she used to be, a translucent hand held out in appeal for her husband to escort her. My father drifted past me, his smile returning as he took his wife's arm. They both turned their heads to look at me one more time before shining brilliantly and shrinking into two silver spheres of light, which began to float down the corridor, gaining in speed.

I quickly got to my feet, keeping Ryuu cradled in my arms. I clumsily slid my wand into my top pocket and ran after the lights, holding Ryuu closer to my body so she wouldn't be knocked around too much.

The spheres gained in speed as they led me through the darkness, randomly turning this way and that until I lost all sight of where we were going. All I knew was that it was somewhere safe; and safety was what Ryuu needed right now. _She must live, please Mother don't let her die now. _I could still feel her stammering heartbeat against my chest.

Finally, the lights turned into the huge doorway of the Great Hall. I followed, stopping at the entrance as I watched the scene within. All of Voldemort's forces were down, lying upon the floor, unconscious. The Cats of Hogwarts had rallied into a mass of energy. Everyone's arms were linked, and everyone was connected to Potter, who was standing at the very front of the crowd, casting in synchrony with Voldemort across from him. A golden aura; almost like a dusty substance lingered around the Cats, who seemed to practically thrum with magical energy. The connection between the two spells of the _priori incantatem_ was highly in Potter's favour.

I turned and saw a mass of white wraiths behind Voldemort. Some of them, I recognised. Once again I saw another distant relative of mine, Sirius Black, standing next to a wraith that looked startlingly like Potter. Skipping up to the front of the amorphous of spirits was a girl with long blonde hair who I think was in Ravenclaw. At the very front, however, was Snape.

The lights of my parents floated over to the collection of wraiths and all of the misty beings paused. Then, as one, they all seemed to shrink in upon themselves and become spheres of light. In a wave, the lights targeted into Voldemort, piercing him over and over again. The Dark Lord cried out in pain and released his spell. The web of lights around Voldemort reflected the green flash of Potter's curse as the Dark Lord was swallowed by light. A white flash expanded about the Hall, enveloping everyone in its blinding embrace. I squeezed my eyes shut, still trying to absorb everything I'd just seen.

A roar erupted and I opened my eyes. Voldemort's body lay dead before the army of Hogwarts. The Cats were cheering. I watched several people embrace the person closest to them, and saw a few punch the air. Some fell to their knees, crying in relief. I felt a pang of disbelief as I looked at Voldemort's body. _He's dead. It's over. It's all over. _A strange tingling feeling sprinkled over my arm and when I looked at it, I saw that my Mark was fading, until you could only see an outline of it. Then my gaze crept down to Ryuu, still limp in my arms and I screamed.

"_HELP!" _I yelled. Some of the faces in the overjoyed crowd turned and blanched as they saw me, covered in blood with a body in my arms. _"PLEASE!"_ My voice ran through the Great Hall, and the cheering began to fade. _"I NEED HELP!"_

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was exhausted._

_So very tired. She felt as if she hadn't rested in a hundred years. Every time she blinked she found it increasingly difficult to open her eyes again. Her body was already asleep, she knew and her mind was close. _No,_ her mind told her. _You mustn't sleep. Not now.

_But the girl's eyes were already closed._

No, wake up.

_The girl wouldn't listen._

Wake up!

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A/N: I was totally messing with you! Yes, everything has to end – but not just yet. Unfortunately though, I did have to kill Snape… which I really didn't want to do. In both canon and DAS, Snape was one of my favourite characters. In this story, his past was a lot like Ryuu's – double agent, hating on Dumbledore a lot, hopelessly in love, etc. So, when I knew I had to kill him I decided that I would do some scenes from his perspective; a kind of final honour to him.

But stay tuned, because as Starkid would say: "It's not over yet…"


	47. Chapter 25 - Awake

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter.'

A/N: Hello, again! We're getting very close to the end now (I'm pretty emotional by the way) and I'd like to thank you all again for sticking with Ryuu and Draco. This chapter is… the last – except for the Epilogue! I tried to tie as many loose ends as I could, and explain the weird parts for you.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 25 – Awake

Draco 

The light of the moon made her face look deathly pale. I didn't like that. However the open window provided a pleasant breeze, so I left it open. The Hospital Wing was dim, with only a few candles lit so that the Healers could weave their way through the beds, tending to injuries at every turn. Despite the business of the room, all remained just above silent, the occasional whisper or cough disturbing the peace. I leaned into the back of the chair, taking another sip of the Wakeful Potion so I wouldn't fall asleep. It had been an entire day since the war had ended, but Ryuu hadn't stirred at all.

Madam Pomphrey had tittered in annoyance over my shoulder. "I _told_ that girl not to use that charm again." She'd complained.

"Is there much damage?" I'd asked with concern.

The woman had looked at me like I was stupid. "Of course not, otherwise _you'd_ be the one in a bed! I just didn't want to encourage this… _do it yourself_ medical behaviour."

The pain in my back had turned out to be a long scrape tracing down my spine. That, and the gash in my head had been healed in a matter of minutes with a few charms. Half an hour later, I was downing a potion to tend to the discomfort in my shoulder, as Madam Pomphrey said, "Just in case." But my wounds were nothing compared to Ryuu's.

One sprained wrist, a concussion, external and internal throat damage, a broken rib on her right and deep wounds to the left calf and the right side torso.The Healers had put her in a deep coma while the treatments took effect. Ryuu had lost a lot of blood, and because of her rare blood type, brewing the right transfusion had taken time. Proper dressings had been wound around her waist and calf. They'd cleaned the wound on the back of her head and performed enchantments for relieving a concussion. Her body was dotted with small cuts and swellings, so the Healers had asked me to leave the room while they'd undressed her and applied a simple healing salve. Worst of all was when they had revealed the damage to her throat. If I looked carefully enough I could still see the purple bruising from where she'd been strangled, but they were fading quickly.

She looked so strange. Peaceful. I was used to seeing so much expression in the way Ryuu held herself, but now that her eyes were closed and her mouth was shut, I was oddly uncomfortable at how unnatural she looked. I put down the goblet of Wakeful Potion on the bedside table, next to the Rubick's cube and our wands – Ryuu's still with the leather strap tied to the hilt. Carefully, I adjusted the sheets so that they covered her throat, hiding the scarring.

"Ahem."

Professor McGonagall fixed me with a stare that emitted disapproval. I rose and walked over to her, surprised to see that I was now taller than she was. "Not yet." I said curtly.

She raised her eyebrows and adjusted her spectacles. "I'm afraid you don't have a say in this matter Mr Malfoy."

I sighed and glanced at Ryuu's limp form. I knew she'd hate me for this. But what else could I do? It was for her own protection. Anyway, there wasn't any other option. I turned back to McGonagall. "A few more hours-" she shook her head. "-just until she wakes up." I needed to see her one last time. "Then I promise I'll go with you." She sighed and I could see she was reluctant, I looked directly into her eyes. "I give you my word."

She paused, lips pursed, considering. I could see that she'd recognised my sincerity. A promise from the prestigious Malfoy family is always fulfilled. It was the way of many old pureblood lines, and I could see that McGonagall recognised that. Finally she broke eye contact, speaking over my shoulder. "I will give you until this time tomorrow, but if she isn't awake by that time…" she let the sentence hang.

I nodded, and McGonagall walked away, black robes sweeping behind her. I bowed my head and sighed. Slowly, I returned to my seat and huddled into the blanket the Healers had given me. Ryuu rolled her head to the side and breathed deeper. I wondered what she was dreaming about.

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Ryuu

_So this is what Hell is like. _

I squinted, eyes adjusting to the light. It was much brighter than I thought it would be. Although, truthfully, I'd never imagined Hell so I couldn't be sure of that. I'd never been a person of faith. Even when I found out about magic I still figured that physics solved a lot of the questions about the universe, and magic answered the really hard ones. But the thought of an afterlife had always eluded me. But it was obvious that I'd died, yet _somehow_ I was still here. Wherever 'here' was.

My body felt light, as if I couldn't precisely feel it. I blinked again, realising that the bright yellow light was sunshine. _Tis a very peaceful Hell for me. _I didn't think for a second I was in any form of Heaven. I'd sinned too much for that place.

I began to feel the softness surrounding me, and realised I was in a bed. The mattress was plush, and the sheets crinkled with the feeling that they had just been dry-cleaned. The air smelled warm with the antiseptic tang that I was fond of. My mother had always had the same scent when she came back from work. I blinked groggily trying to remember how I had died. _There was a green light, and then Draco was there._ _He held me. _

I heard a noise like a gasp and looked over to my right. I instantly recognised the figure seated there. I felt a pang of sadness. So Draco was dead too. I'd hoped that he would've lived. He looked cleaner than the last time I'd seen him. There was no rips in his clothing, no blood or dirt on his face; his white-blonde hair had been washed. However, there were bags under his eyes and a tint of something absent in his silver stare.

"You look awful," I lied, noticing that my voice sounded normal again. 'Eloquent with a touch of bitch' as my father used to put it so politely.

Draco smirked, a sight that I hadn't seen in a long time. I felt a laugh bubbling at the surface of my mouth and smiled. "This is coming from the one in the hospital bed," Draco replied smoothly.

_Hospital bed? _I thought, eyes narrowing. _What is he-?_

I was alive.

It seemed that in a second every morsel of my body tensed and I felt my common sense kick back into action. The pain in my torso. The drug-afflicted drowsy state of my head. The crisp white sheets covering me. The sounds of the Hospital Wing – the_ real_ one, not the Room of Requirement – bustling about me. My breath, which was punched back into me in heavy blows of oxygen. My fingers dug into the mattress and I snapped straight up into a sitting position. My mind was awake to it all now. The battle. My injuries. Pain that itched at me right now. _Where am I? _I thought frantically. _What's going on? _ I felt around for my wand, desperately trying to find my weapon, heart thudding against my chest.

Then Draco was in front of me with his hands on my shoulders. "Ryuu! Calm down, it's okay." I was still shaking, and I didn't understand. _What's happening? Where's Voldemort?_ I was about to voice the questions, but Draco answered them for me. "He's dead. Voldemort's dead. We won. The war is over."

"_Over?"_ I repeated in a whisper, beginning to comprehend. Draco nodded. I stared down at my hands and leaned back against the bed frame. _It's over. We won. _I kept looking at my hands, and thinking that I should be holding a wand. But I didn't need to anymore. There wasn't a constant threat to my life. I wouldn't need to hold up my guard, and hide if I heard an unusual sound. I wouldn't need to wear armour, or lash my weapon to my hand, or run away, or stand and fight. I wouldn't need to follow orders, no matter how much I didn't want to. Because I wasn't a soldier anymore. I wasn't a General anymore. I wasn't a spy either. _It's over. _I couldn't decide what my hands should be holding now. The world of the war had become so engraved in my head that I felt awkward and empty lying here at the end. _What am I supposed to do now? _I kept thinking.

Draco watched me stare down at my hands for a while longer before placing an object in my palm. I recognised the cool touch of my ring before I noticed it. The silver was gleaming and the crack that had formerly split down the deep green Dragonstone was gone.

"It was in your pocket," he said simply.

"You fixed it." I murmured, looking over at him. I noticed the Rubick's Cube I had given him on the bedside table, and couldn't believe he still hadn't solved it. I smiled and slid the ring onto my finger. Exactly as it had been before, it was a perfect fit. I tested its weight and knew what my hands should be holding now.

Just as I was about to thank Draco an auburn blur launched itself onto my lap. "Dusk!" I exclaimed in astonishment and scratched behind his ears. The cat purred appreciatively and sniffed the sleeve of my white cotton shirt. "Where have you been hiding all this time?" I whispered to him. His golden eyes widened and he meowed twice in succession. I laughed, stroking him again.

Draco watched this interaction with raised eyebrows. "Do you often talk to your cat?" Dusk hissed at him and curled up against the side of my leg, eyeing him venomously.

My hand was loosely clasped in Draco's; an action that would have sent me into an analytical frenzy two years ago. Now it seemed natural. "What happened?" I asked him, and Draco regarded me with sympathetic eyes. "Tell me everything." I whispered, sitting up straighter.

"You should be resting." Draco said lowly.

"I am," I said, motioning to my relaxed position. "Can't you tell me _while_ I rest?"

Draco stood and leaned over me to grab a pitcher. He placed it on the bedside table, tapped it with his wand and lifted it once more to reveal a goblet of the same design standing in its place. When the goblet was full with the pitcher's contents he passed it to me. The potion was a guava colour, and smelled like salt. "You have to keep drinking that to get your strength back up." I took a careful sip. The potion had a peculiar taste, but wasn't unpleasant. I could already feel a warmth tingling through me and could tell it was working. I glanced back at Draco as he sat back in his chair and he began to speak.

"Potter and Voldemort had wands with twin cores, which meant that they could perform _priori incantatem-_"

"What _is_ that?" I asked. Harry had talked about it before, but I still didn't know what it was.

"It's when spells from the two wands are cast at the same moment, and the magical energy connects and turns into a force that can momentarily unbalance the Laws of Magic." Draco said simply. I raised an eyebrow at him and he elaborated. "Meaning… that the magic could temporarily allow previous spells from one of the wands to be - _revisited. _Also known as the reverse-spell effect." When I still looked at him in confusion he tried again.

"The point is, Potter was able to cast stronger than Voldemort, making the effects of the _priori incantatem_ occur to Voldemort's wand. Which meant that the spells he had recently cast were…" Draco searched for the word.

"Echoed?" I supplied, and he nodded.

"Yes. Because Voldemort had killed a lot of people in battle, their… _forms_ appeared from his wand."

"Forms?" I narrowed my eyes. "Like, you could see them? The dead people?"

"They were a bit like ghosts," Draco continued. "But different. The same thing happened to all of the Death Eaters and Snatchers, through their magical attachment to Voldemort –the Dark Marks."

Unbidden, I glanced down at Draco's forearm, anxiously. Draco saw my reaction, but pretended not to notice. I felt a pang of guilt, and babbled out some words. "So it happened to you too?"

Draco stared at me distantly, then chose to ignore that. "The wraiths are merely a fragment of the person that they were when they were alive; the one part of them which survives after death. The only thought process they can comprehend in that state is love. Which is why when they 'attacked' Voldemort's army, each person was relieved of anger, hatred, sadness and _fear._ That's why they fell unconscious." Draco explained, eyes glazed. "I thought that the wraiths would kill the Death Eaters, but I was mistaken."

_Knocking people out with love?_ The thought sounded a bit fruity to me, but I suppose in the midst of battle with emotions running high – an overwhelming feeling of comfort would perhaps wear you out. _Like a reverse dementor._ I nodded, imagining the surprise of watching every Death Eater and Snatcher pass out. It would have felt like a miracle. "But Voldemort doesn't feel love," I realised as I spoke. "So when the wraiths attacked him… he died." I shook my head, still partially in disbelief. "How did Harry manage to do that?"

"Potter harnessed the power of a physical magical connection." Draco explained. "Everyone was connected to him by touch, utilising their own individual magic as a network."

I took all of this in, trying to picture what had happened in my mind. A lot of what Harry had brainstormed to me before the battle made more sense now. I sighed. "I can't believe it. The most important event of our lifetime… _and I was asleep!"_

Draco laughed, eyes shining. "Completely. You know I had to carry you to the Great Hall in my arms?"

"You did?" I gasped, leaning my head back into the pillow and scowling. "Gross, I feel like a weak, shallow damsel now."

"Well, you _are_ a Princess."

I paused, glancing at him. I hadn't heard that name in a long time, but he'd said it smoothly, just like he used to. He regarded me with a long stare and I finally managed to move my lips and whisper. "Don't call me that." I said, like I always used to. The real message was inferred behind the words. I traced my thumb along his palm, and he tightened his hold.

"Okay, Princess."

There were footsteps at the foot of my bed, and when I looked over I saw Professor McGonagall standing there, all in black. "Miss Veil, so good to see you awake." At that she threw a glance at Draco, who retracted his hand from mine and leaned back in his chair. I narrowed my eyes at that, confused at the interaction, before McGonagall reached into her pocket and handed me a small black leather casket. "From Dumbledore," she said when I raised my eyebrows in question.

I carefully removed the lid with ignited curiosity. Inside was an assortment of objects; parchments, my Prefect and General badges, an orange feather that glinted gold in the sunlight. The first thing my eye was drawn to was my Slytherin tie, which had been cleaned and pressed to remove the bloodstains. I gathered the cloth in my hands and felt its smoothness before placing it back in the box and reaching for a sheet of parchment, written in purple ink.

To Miss Ryuu Advena Veil,

I am truly thankful for the efforts and achievements you have provided for the Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts School, and myself. You have worked hard, and done many honourable deeds, and for that I am appreciative.

Although we have been faced with misunderstandings – which of course I take full responsibility for –I hope that I am not your enemy; for you are most certainly not mine. In truth, Miss Veil, I consider you to be one of my most treasured students in all of my years of teaching.

And I apologise.

I wish you a long and happy life, Miss Veil; whatever you may choose.

Signed,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

I folded up the dead man's letter, trying to decide how I could decipher that. I felt McGonagall's eyes on me so I moved on to the next piece of parchment, which was in an envelope with a golden seal imprinted with a feather.

This official document recognises

RYUU ADVENA VEIL

As a permanent member of

The Order of the Phoenix

By suggestion of

Remus John Lupin

Signed:

Kingsley Shacklebolt – Head of The Order of the Phoenix

The next letter was an Order of Merlin Third Class, awarded to Luna Lovegood for co-creation of the Hogwarts Cats. I felt a tear come to my eye as I noticed the small cross written in black next to her name. "There's still been no sightings of Mr. Lovegood," McGonagall said as she watched me read it. "I don't suppose you know where he is?"

I shook my head, thinking of where I could put Luna's award. The idea came easily and I smiled sadly, looking up at McGonagall. "Luna's certificate – it should be framed and put up in Ravenclaw tower." I declared. McGonagall nodded and took the parchment from my outstretched hand. _For generations of Ravenclaws to come, the black sheep Luna Lovegood will be remembered as a hero. _I thought to myself. _She deserved that._

I was just about to close the casket when I noticed one last letter, folded up neatly at the very bottom. Gingerly, I folded back the parchment, hearing Draco's gasp as my eyes slid over the words.

Order of Merlin First Class

Presented to:

RYUU ADVENA VEIL

By suggestion of:

Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Order of the Phoenix Representative Remus John Lupin

Head Auror Roslyn Ann Wilson

And

Harry James Potter

For:

Extensive service to the Order of the Phoenix

Extensive Service to Hogwarts Castle

Co-creation of the Hogwarts Cats

General of Hogwarts Cats and command of the Sphinx Squad

Release of War Prisoners

Protection of The Chosen One: Harry James Potter

Signed:

Kingsley Shacklebolt – Minister For Magic

My mouth opened and closed in shock. _An Order of Merlin First Class? _This piece of parchment basically meant I was set for life. Even though my education had been cut short, it wouldn't be at all difficult for me to find employment now. _Dumbledore suggested me. And Lupin. _I reminded myself to thank him later. I puzzled over the third name for a while before I realised. _Roslyn Ann Wilson. Copper. She was an Auror?! _I remembered seeing her chatting to Kingsley Shacklebolt after I'd come back from the Kennels. She'd clearly been promoted to his old position after he became Minister. _She must've worked closely with him._

"Merlin's beard…" Draco whispered from beside me. His eyes scrolled up and down the parchment. "You've been busy."

I folded up the parchment and placed it back inside the casket again, looking up at McGonagall. I was just about to thank her, but the tall woman wasn't even looking at me. She was glaring at Draco with eyes sharper than daggers. "Mr. Malfoy."

Draco glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and something in the way he held himself seemed to lower. He looked back over at me, and stared, as if he was taking in every detail of my face. Draco hesitated slightly before reaching under my chin and tilting my face closer to his. However, as his lips were about to touch mine there was a sharp cough from McGonagall's direction and he stopped, pulling back abruptly and standing. "Get some rest," he said with a crooked smile. He squeezed my hand and drew away, standing next to McGonagall who was marking on her clipboard.

"Where are you going?" I asked slowly. Something was odd. I could sense it.

Draco threw me a pained look, but McGonagall responded first, eyes on the page before her. "I will be escorting Mr. Malfoy to Azkaban shortly, to serve his sentence."

I felt as if the words had punched me in the stomach, and before I knew it I was on my feet, stumbling slightly as my heel caught on the edge of my white cotton pants. I stood in between Draco and McGonagall. Pain stabbed into me from my torso, but I ignored it. _"What?!"_

Several of the other patients looked over to the commotion, watching in interest. McGonagall raised her eyes from the clipboard and surveyed me sternly. "Mr. Malfoy carries the crime of service to the Dark Lord."

_No. _I screamed inside my mind. _Not this again. _But the words had gone dry in my mouth. Instead, I whipped around, wincing as my stomach twisted in agony and seized Draco's right arm. In one swift movement, I slid Draco's sleeve up to his elbow showing her the faded outline of his Mark. "Voldemort is _dead!"_ I yelled, and the Hospital Wing fell silent.

"But his followers remain among us." McGonagall insisted, with a clenched jaw. "Peace can only be attained by the imprisonment of threats such as-"

"_Threats?"_ I replied shrilly, letting go of Draco's arm. My heart was hammering in my chest and I felt the world tilting. "Draco surrendered! He fought on _our_ side in the last battle."

"Ryuu-" Draco laced a hand on my shoulder.

"Stand aside Miss Veil!" McGonagall's voice rang with the authority of the Headmistress she was. "Mr Malfoy is a criminal-"

"-He saved my life." I said through gritted teeth, glaring at McGonagall in rage.

"He had influence in the assassination of the former Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour."

"He was acting under _orders!"_ I retorted, the pain in my side ringing in clarity with every breath I took. "Just like we all were- like _I_ was. Are you saying that I need to be arrested too?"

She slid the clipboard under her arm and glanced anxiously at the onlookers. She spoke in a lower, smoother tone. "You are under different circumstances, Miss Veil."

"Oh, my apologies," I said, my voice dripping with sarcastic disgust. "I was under the impression that justice was blind – not favourable to the winning side." McGonagall flushed.

Suddenly the world around me seemed to fall onto one side and I grasped the bed for balance. My torso complained in agony as I leaned awkwardly. I kept my mouth firmly shut, determined not to cry out in pain. My entire body felt exhausted and my head was spinning. _This can't be happening, _I kept thinking. _I won't let them take him away. _

I was just looking over to where my wand was lying when Draco steadied me with his arm and leaned down to hiss into my ear. "Ryuu, what are you _doing?!"_

"I… won't…"

"Everyone who's been Marked is going to Azkaban. There's nothing you can do."

As my balance began to return I looked at him. I remembered what his eyes had looked like when he was chained down in the Dungeons and felt sick. _It's not fair. Why does he always end up the prisoner? _

"Please," Draco addressed McGonagall. "She's disoriented from the healing potions, and doesn't really understand what she's saying."

"No…" I stood taller, taking a breath as my balance righted itself.

McGonagall sighed. "Mr Malfoy, if you are ready-"

"_-No!"_ I yelled, stepping in front of Draco again. My words began to tumble out in a crazed rush, but I only had eyes for McGonagall and ignored the expressions of utter intrigue of the people surrounding us. " When is his trial?" I demanded.

"He will have no trial."

I groaned at the injustice. This was ludicrous! For once the law and order system of the muggle world seemed somewhat appealing. "Is there any other way to prevent this from happening?"

McGonagall regarded me with slightly narrowed eyes and spoke very carefully. "There is the alternative to pay bail for Mr Malfoy's release."

A drop of hope. "I have money. How much?"

Her fingers tapped nervously on her clipboard. "The money can only come from a family member, and as you mightn't be aware – Mr. Malfoy is an orphan."

"But he has other family," I contributed quickly, glancing around the Hospital Wing for a sign of bubblegum pink. "Nymphadora Tonks is his cousin, and Professor Lupin is related by marriage." _I could give them the money. Lupin will definitely be on my side._

McGonagall's eyes flashed with pity. "Miss Veil, I'm sorry to tell you this but-" she sighed. "Remus and Tonks died in the last battle."

The breath caught in my throat. I hadn't known Tonks very well, but Lupin had been… well, I supposed a friend. I remembered striding past him in the hallway when I was going up to Dumbledore's office and felt a pang of guilt for not taking the time to speak with him. "The baby… Teddy, is he-?"

"Alive." McGonagall assured. "Potter is his Godfather." I blinked a tear from my eye and shook my head, trying to focus again. "Appeal from Lupin and Tonks wouldn't have worked anyway," McGonagall continued, "the family member has to be direct – parents, children, siblings or spouses."

Something ticked over my brain, and my heart began to beat faster. I quickly thought through what I could do, and snapped my head up to look at McGonagall. "Fine then," I said simply, before spinning around to face Draco and grabbing his hands in my own. "Draco Malfoy, do you take me, Ryuu Veil, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish until death parts us?"

Draco's silvery eyes widened and McGonagall gasped. He blinked several times, opening and closing his mouth in surprise before speaking to me in a low tone. _"What?!" _

"I know this is maybe a _bit_ sudden-"

"-Ryuu, this is the _literal definition of sudden_-"

"_-Draco-"_

"-Are you _completely_ insane?!-"

"_-Do you take me?!"_

He paused, looking down at me, face still. He seemed to be handling this pretty well seeing as there was a bandaged and bloodied desperate girl clinging on to him, demanding that he accept his husbandry. Draco's tone became softer, more sincere. "Listen," he started. I began to protest, but he placed a finger on my mouth. "No, listen to me. Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

I nodded, and tried to speak but he shook his head.

"No, Ryuu. _Really_ think about this. Your asking to be _my_ wife," his eyes studied my own. "I'm a Death Eater- or at least, I used to be. So was my father. So was my family," he gripped my hand tighter. "Ryuu, this is known about me. Do you think that people are just going to accept that?"

I looked at him with pleading eyes and pulled his finger from my lips. "I don't care, Draco."

"You should," he said quietly, glancing around. "No one will trust you. Ryuu… they may try to hurt you – just…" he sighed. "don't do this."

I stared at him, feeling a twinge of pity. _He's worried for me. _I shook my head slightly and whispered so that only he could hear. "I can't- I can't see you imprisoned. Not again."

He held my stare for a long time before closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "I'm sorry," he whispered before stepping back, but I kept a hold of his hands.

"Do you take me, Draco?" I asked again, louder this time.

He opened his eyes and shook his head. "I can't."

I clenched my jaw and held back the tears, trying a new approach. "Do you love me?"

He took a step closer. "Ryuu, I'm-"

"_Do you love me?" _I said again.

"Of course I do, but-"

"Aha!" I quickly placed a hand over his mouth and turned to McGonagall. "He said 'I do.' That counts, right?"

McGonagall was watching us with her mouth partly open, and her arms crossed over her chest. She stammered slightly before answering my question, distracted by my absurd outburst. She regained her composure and shook her head. "A marriage is only official when performed by a Major of Vows." I lowered my hand in annoyance, trying to think of another option. McGonagall continued, "Now, Miss Veil if you are finished, I will now be escorting Mr Malfoy to Azkaban-"

As Draco began to move, I moved faster. I jumped in front of him, arms out wide, as if I was shielding him from a bullet. My heart beat wildly as I yelled at McGonagall in a voice that stilled the entire Hospital Wing. _"Then I will go with him!"_ I screamed.

McGonagall froze, eyes wide behind her spectacles. I panted, feeling my rib throb painfully beneath my outstretched arm. I heard whispers begin to break out amongst the onlookers, who seemed to be giving us their full attention. I felt Draco tense behind me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and spun me around, staring down at me in annoyance. "Now _that_," he said "wasn't very smart."

"What was I supposed to do?" I hissed back.

"Stop." Draco snapped. "You are _not_ going to jail."

"Nor are you." I said through gritted teeth.

Draco ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. I turned back around to face McGonagall, who hadn't moved. As I watched she slowly began to speak in a drawn out, measured tone. "It has been some time since I've seen a true Slytherin at Hogwarts…"

"…Never mind two." I finished. Her gaze flickered to me. "Dumbledore said that to you, didn't he?" I asked, knowing the answer.

McGonagall nodded. "After he allowed the release of Mr Malfoy from the Dungeons."

I waited patiently. Draco shifted behind me, and McGonagall switched her stare to focus on him. "Do you regret your actions as a Death Eater?" She asked suddenly.

Draco nodded.

"And do you admit to surrendering before the outcome of the war?"

Again, he nodded. Now McGonagall looked at me. "Do you stand in his defence?"

"Yes." I said levelly.

McGonagall pursed her lips, considering. Then she pulled the clipboard out from under her arm and made a mark with her quill. "Any other requests you would like to make, Miss Veil?" she asked sarcastically.

I took advantage. "Everyone who's Marked gets a trial." I declared sternly.

McGonagall paused in her note-taking but didn't look up from the paper. For a moment I wondered if I'd crossed over the line, but didn't care. For once, _I_ was in the right. After a long, intense silence she continued writing and regarded me with even eyes. "As you say, General." Then she turned and walked away.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLL

After I'd finished drinking all of the prescribed potions, I returned to the bed, feeling drowsy. I propped the pillows up against the bed frame and sat up straight. Dusk crawled into my lap, curling up into a ball and purring, the sound reminding me of the thrum of guitar strings. Draco was sitting next to me, trying unsuccessfully to decipher the Rubick's Cube. I considered if I should tell him a simple way to do it in under five minutes, and then decided that I would leave him to it. Draco's hopeless attempts at figuring out this 'muggle contraption' were far too amusing to put to an end.

From the moment when McGonagall had walked away, Draco had looked at me with a strange glint in his eye. I knew that my actions had been rash, but at the time I'd been too much in a state of frenzy to care. For a while I'd assumed everything was going to be alright, but when McGonagall had said those words, I'd felt a new kind of anger within me. Not like the wrathful rage I'd harboured in the Kennels, or even the two outbursts I'd fired at Dumbledore before the final battle. In the few minutes when I'd thought Draco was going to be taken to prison… It'd felt like a broken promise. As if someone was spoiling my happy ending. Well, as I'd realised to myself; I was having _none_ of that.

"I want to take you out," Draco began. I looked over at him. He'd momentarily placed the coloured cube aside and was leaning back in the chair. "Like a first date."

"We've been on a date before." I said with a raised eyebrow.

"To the _Shrieking Shack."_

I shrugged. "I thought it was fun."

"I _mean,"_ Draco said evenly. "A date where we don't have to look over our shoulders every few minutes." He coughed slightly. "A real one."

A pang of guilt. "Sorry." I said awkwardly.

He waved the moment aside and looked at me with a smirk. "We're seventeen now. I can apparate." His eyes glinted mischievously. "We could travel the world if we felt like it."

I smiled, and thought about it. "Well, I could do with some food. Good food. Like an _entire_ meal." Dusk meowed and I stroked his ears tenderly. "I like Indian food," I added. "The traditional kind, not the crap you find in London."

Draco nodded. "I went to India when I was twelve. Malfoy Industries has an estate house there, and I know a really great restaurant in New Delhi-"

"-Paris it is." I interjected.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Always wanted to see the Eifel Tower," I continued, smirking. "We could get take away from the restaurant in New Delhi, go to Paris and have a picnic." Draco blinked in surprise and I shrugged. "I'm a tough girl to please."

We laughed. At first it was only minute, but eventually it grew until my rib began to hurt. I placed a hand on my waist and breathed in, relieving the pain carefully. "Before we go anywhere, though I…" awkwardness crept over my spine. I glanced at Draco, feeling guilty. "I want to find my parents."

Draco tilted his head to the side, a flicker of something I didn't recognise twitching his mouth. "They're in Australia," I continued, watching his reaction. "I placed a memory charm on them so they would forget me." I remembered back to that horrible day. "So that they wouldn't try to find me."

He nodded, the odd expression on his face shifting. It was strange, talking about my parents to Draco, since he'd now lost his. And especially since he'd killed his father. I could see that Draco still hadn't fully accepted that, and didn't want to seem boastful that I had a family and he didn't. "I just… need to see them again." I said. It was true. Hardly a day had gone by when I hadn't thought about them.

"Okay," Draco replied, his demeanour loosing the tension. He smiled at me and leaned close. My lips brushed his.

"OI! YOU GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU _SCUM!"_

I jolted back just in time to see Zach lunging towards Draco, hands balled into fists. His yellow eyes flashed dangerously and his cheeks were red with anger. I felt a thrill of happiness to see him alive, and the feeling grew as I spied Dennis standing behind him, fingers looped casually through the Hufflepuff tie tied around Zach's hips, preventing the dark haired boy from moving within arm's length of Draco.

"GET YOUR FILTHY, _PREDJUDICED_ HANDS OFF MY FRIEND!" Zach continued to rant. Many of the people around us were looking on with interest again – obviously the trivial scenes of the past few minutes had been quite entertaining for them. I tried to act like I didn't know him, seeing as he was being completely mortifying at the present, but Zach jabbed a finger in my direction and continued shouting. "RYUU IS LIKE A SISTER TO ME – WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER SO DON'T YOU _DARE-"_

"_ZACH!" _I yelled, but he continued raging.

Draco was staring wide eyed at him, body completely still. As Zach continued screaming, Draco slowly turned his head in my direction and wet his lips, forming the words slowly. "Ryuu…" he began, ignoring Zach's protest. ("YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU, YOU BASTARD!") Draco continued. "…Why is a Hufflepuff talking to me?"

I groaned and covered the side of my face in my hand. "Zach," I hissed, _"Sit down!"_

Although he instantly complied, he continued yelling, trying to grab Draco's collar, but remaining just out of reach. Dennis's fingers were still circled around the Hufflepuff tie, and with a twisted lip Dennis slowly placed his hand on his sleeve and lightly tugged it once. Zach instantly stopped shouting, and threw Dennis a glance. Blushing, Dennis pointed over to me and Zach whipped his head around.

"Zach," I began slowly, as if I was speaking to a half-wit. I gestured next to me. "This is Draco Malfoy… he's my…" Draco glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "boyfriend." I finished promptly.

Zach's golden gaze locked onto me, then flicked to Draco. Then back to me, and then Draco again. He began to open his mouth, but slammed it shut. Then his eyes repeated the tennis-match switch between Draco and myself a few more times. He finished on me and took a breath, preparing to speak. I raised an eyebrow and he caught on to my psychic warning of _"Be nice."_ Then once more he glanced at Draco before, lowering his head and shuffling his feet awkwardly.

Dennis spoke instead. "Hi," he said, his voice never sounding more grown up. He held out a hand. "Dennis Creevy."

Draco numbly accepted the handshake, nodding into Dennis's easy walnut stare. "Pleasure." He grunted, giving Zach a glance. "So… how exactly do you know Ryuu?"

Zach took a sudden step forwards, brow furrowed. "We've been there for her since the _very_ beginning-!"

"-They're my close friends." I elaborated, as Dennis sat down beside me and took my hand. I smiled at him, and spoke so that only he could hear. "I heard about what you did." Draco and I had shared everything we'd seen with each other before. When I'd mentioned my confrontation with Pansy Parkinson, Draco had looked distant for a few moments. I had began to feel that I should elaborate, but he'd then shrugged the moment away and asked me to continue talking. I snapped back into reality."That was really well done, Den."

He blushed, smiling. "It was just like you said; mid-sentence attacks."

I glanced over to Zach and Draco, who were staring at each other intensely, completely silent. Draco appeared calm and reassured, but Zach's hands were still in fists and he remained so still he looked ready to explode. I coughed, to break the tension and Zach glanced my way. Biting the inside of his lip, he changed the demeanour of his face slightly, so he looked as if he'd just swallowed a bee. He held out a hand and Draco took it, both of them tightening their hold firmly.

I pretended not to notice just as much as Dennis did, as Zach spoke to Draco in the most menacing tone he could muster. "Listen up, _snake-boy,"_ he spat, "I don't like you, but it's obvious that Ryuu does – so I'm going to let this happen." He raised his eyebrows. "But I'm not happy about it. And if I so much as hear anything suspicious about you – or if you hurt her in any way – I swear upon my family I will _end _you." His eyes didn't flicker. "Are we clear?"

Draco nodded and spoke in a smooth voice dripping with hidden amusement. "Clear." He said, face serious. "I would never hurt her, you can have my word on that…" he paused, and smirked. _"Badger-boy."_

"_-Okay!"_ Dennis broke in, before Zach's cheeks had time to redden. "We were just leaving." He squeezed my hand, before getting up and tugging on Zach's sleeve. Zach released his grip on Draco's hand. I noticed that his knuckles were white. He looked over at me, smiled and wished me a fast recovery. I nodded and grinned as they walked away.

Draco sat down and regarded me with a concerned stare. "I didn't know you had friends." I scoffed at him and punched him lightly as he bent forward to try and kiss me again. His hand cupped my cheek as he brought my face closer.

"Easy there, Boss. Wouldn't want to get her pregnant."

Draco pulled back and looked to the foot of the bed. There stood the tall, now grown, form of Blaise Zabini. I remembered him from my school days, swaggering around with Draco's inner circle. I could see why Reeah had taken such a fancy to him. He'd very much grown into his looks, with flawless dark skin and eyes and muscular arms. I felt a bit awkward as Draco exclaimed _"Blaise!"_ and got to his feet. Zabini had never been a friend to me. At the best times he'd been indifferent towards my existence, and once or twice he'd coldly murmured a taunt at me as I passed him. They embraced in a manly way, thumping into each other in a brief hug and slapping each other on the back before parting.

"What happened to you? In the Great Hall you just ran off." Zabini asked.

Draco glanced around at me. "I had some things to take care of."

Zabini caught his glance, but continued speaking. "Reeah and I waited on the outskirts of the battle. That thing Potter did… whatever it was… it made Scrimgeour come out of my wand! Like a ghost." Zabini shook his head. "I'm telling you, Malfoy. I was getting sick of that Death Eater shit for a while. I was sick of that _war._ Too much I didn't understand, and Reeah got herself into a load of danger."

"Has McGonagall spoken to you yet?" Draco murmured.

Zabini nodded, solemnly. "Just a few minutes ago. I have a court date, and Reeah's standing in my defence. Probably the best we could ask for, I suppose." He paused, looking edgy and then stepped past Draco, eyes on me. I straightened, instinctively preparing myself for an insult. Zabini scratched his head and seemed to struggle with himself before speaking.

"Listen, err… Ryuu, right?" he began.

"…Yes?" I said hesitantly. Draco was watching this interaction with a raised eyebrow.

Zabini breathed out and took the liberty to look me in the eye. "Reeah told me what you did. When you found her in the Forbidden Forest. And, err… well, _she_ thought that was really great of you and wanted to thank you and all and I…" he stammered, mouth twisting uncomfortably. "Well, she would've been locked up if you hadn't… and what I mean to say is – even though I never thought I'd say this to a mudblood-"

"Blaise!" Draco snapped, throwing him a venomous expression and shaking his head.

Zabini cringed throwing his hands up in the air. "Sorry, Boss! I meant no offense, really." He dropped his hands, looking down in shame. "Old habits die hard." He shook his head and glanced sideways at Draco. "But you're right Boss – they should die." When Draco raised his eyebrows Blaise tilted his head and explained. "The old habits, I mean."

He then looked back at me sincerely. "What I was trying to say was… thank you." He finished.

I blinked up at Zabini in surprise. Carefully I wet my lips and nodded, stitching on a reassuring smile. "…You're welcome, Blaise." The words sounded odd in my mouth.

The dark man nodded and turned away. "Later Boss," he said before leaving. Draco sighed and sat back down in his chair, shaking his head.

"Sorry about him," he said to me.

I shook my head. "It's fine." For once it actually was. "He was just trying to be nice. It was just a Freudian slip."

Draco regarded me with confusion, but I shook my head. "Muggle thing. Anyway," I said, petting Dusk on the head. I smiled shyly. "I believe he err… interrupted something."

Draco laughed and shifted to the edge of his seat. I leaned close to him, sliding my hand into his own, feeling his eyelashes brush against mine. His lips had just began to move against my own, when-

"Hey, Ryuu!"

We both stopped, like rabbits caught in headlights. Slowly, I turned my head aside to see Harry, Ginny – who was pushing a purple pram along in front of her - and Ron who was pushing Hermione along in a wheelchair. Harry was waving at us and leading the group in our direction. Draco snarled and pulled away. "Must you _interrupt,_ Potter?" he snapped.

Harry's green eyes flittered between the two of us and he paused as he reached the edge of the bed. "Oh," he began awkwardly. "Sorry about that." Draco rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair. I cleared my throat, colour rising to my cheeks.

"On behalf of Draco and myself," I began, "Thanks Harry." I said, glancing around. "And well, all of you. Thanks. But mainly Harry, because well… you know… thanks for um… saving the world and all-" I searched my mind for the right way to say it, but Harry held up a hand.

"Stop." He said clearly. I remembered back to two years ago when I'd tried to apologise to him in Grimmauld Place, and took his advice.

"So, how are you feeling?" Ron asked politely.

I was just about to speak, but Draco cut me off. "That's none of your concern Weasley." I threw him a look.

Ron rolled his blue eyes. "Still a discriminatory prat, Malfoy?"

Draco frowned. "Of course not." He looked down at Hermione, and spoke to her in a serious tone. "Granger, I am extremely sorry for every instance in which I called you a 'mudblood' or made insult to your family." Draco glanced back at Ron with a kind of 'I told you so' expression plastered on his face and smirked. "There."

Hermione blinked her round brown eyes and pursed her lips. "Apology accepted," she said after a pause. "But I'll truly believe it when I see it, Malfoy." She stared at him equally, before turning her gaze to me. "So, how are you recovering?"

"Well," I admitted. "It's just the rib that's playing up the most." I glanced at her chair and grinned. "Horseback not doing it for you?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Turns out riding on the back of an animagus isn't the most comfortable way to travel. For _either_ of us." She added.

I made my voice sound apologetic. "How's Teddy?"

Ginny smiled sadly and bent down behind Harry, pulling the babe from the stroller. "I don't think he fully understands what happened," she said sombrely. She walked over to me and placed the young boy in my arms. I sat him down next to Dusk, who regarded him with dilated pupils and a swishing tail. Teddy grasped a small handful of the cat's fur, and his hair colour changed to that of a russet orange brown. I looked over to Draco and nodded towards the infant.

"Do you want to hold him?" I asked. Draco looked at me with scorn. I sighed. "He's your family, you know. Technically he's your…" I took some time to think about it. "First cousin once-removed."

Draco shook his head. "I can't hold a baby," he said sternly.

Harry muffled a laugh. "Ryuu's going to have fun with that in the future." he mumbled, and Ron laughed. Draco and I glared at the ginger haired boy until he quietened down.

"Here," I said, turning back to Draco, who roughly held out his arms as I lowered Teddy into his hold. He grabbed the baby with two hands and held him as far away from his body as humanly possible, reminding me of the way he picked up Dusk.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Ginny said.

Draco sneered at her. Teddy's hair and eyes morphed to match Draco's colouring and when he looked back at the babe, his eyes widened and he cried out in alarm. I snapped my arms outwards, but thankfully, Draco _didn't_ drop the child. "Careful," I pleaded as Draco brought the infant warily closer.

He held Teddy up a few inches from his chest, the small child's feet standing on his legs. Draco looked over at me in appeal. "Now what?"

"_Now," _I said, "you give him back to me."

Draco nodded and handed me the child, slowly and steadily, appearing to hold his breath as he lowered the babe into my arms. I looked down into Teddy's plump little face for a moment more before looking up at Harry again. "He's adorable." I confessed.

Harry took him from my hold and cradled him in one arm, like an expert. Teddy laughed with relish and tugged at Harry's jet black hair. "You can come visit him any time." He said simply.

"We'll make sure not to." Draco said quickly. "Now, I'll try not to say this rudely…" he paused for a second, taking a deep breath and furrowing his brow in thought. He tapped his finger on his chin in mock contemplation before nodding and looking up at Harry again with a polite smile. "Bugger off. Ryuu needs to rest."

Ron scoffed and Harry grinned slightly. Hermione cast me a look and I shrugged, smiling. She blinked a few times before returning the gesture. "Bye," I said as they began to turn away.

There was a symphony of "See ya Ryuu," "Bye," "Get well!" and "We'll catch up." Then in unison, the four of them turned their gaze on Draco and nodded once, faces stern. _"Malfoy."_ They said in utter synchrony.

I couldn't help a small giggle as Draco sniggered at them when they turned and walked away, laughing. He cast me a narrowed stare, but I shrugged. "Hey, you've been awful to them for years… now, it's their turn."

Draco tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. "And you're just going to let them do it?"

I nodded. "Pretty much."

For a few moments we glared at each other; expressions blank as stone, with tight lips and eyes aflame, like two dragons preparing to fight. Then, in unison, the corners of our mouths twitched and our lips slid into smirks. Draco leaned forward and kissed me, and I kissed him back, feeling happier than I had in years.

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was curious._

_She sneaked around the large mahogany desk, her fingers tracing over papers and files. She cast a glance over her shoulder at the closed door and slid into her father's chair, sitting up straight to look around his desk. She leaned back in her seat, eyes drifting over the letters he'd written and the books that were piled to her side. With interest, she leaned over to her left and opened the first drawer. _

_Inside was some spare writing utensils and paper, a small key, a few coins – nothing of particular interest. The girl pushed a strand of her long blonde hair away from her eyes and opened the next drawer. Instantly, she fixated on the object, staring at it in intrigue._

_She carefully removed the box from the drawer, wondering why it was coloured in random places. She noticed that the structure of it felt loose and she smiled as she turned one of the sides around completely._

"_It's called a Rubick's Cube," said a voice from behind her._

_The girl jumped in her seat, startled. Guiltily, she lifted her gaze to see her mother looking down at her, one eyebrow cocked. The girl sighed as the mother smiled and took the Rubick's Cube into her own hands. "It's a puzzle – but it's quite easy to solve. I'll show you."_

_For the next few minutes, the mother twisted and turned the squares of the cube, brow furrowed in concentration. The girl watched closely, taking note of every manoeuvre until the mother proudly displayed the completed Rubick's Cube, each side tiled with only one colour._

"_You did it," the girl said in half-surprise. _

_The mother's eyes were far away and she smiled to herself. "This is your father's. He's had it for years, but has never been able to figure it out." She began to twist and scramble the colours of the cube again, fingers deftly returning the Rubick's Cube back to a state of chaos. When it was once more indecipherable, the mother smirked and handed it back to her daughter, leaning in close to whisper. "You must never tell your father." _

_Vipera looked up into Ryuu's emerald green eyes; her mother's eyes which she had inherited exactly._

"_Yes Mother."_

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A/N: PSYCH PSYCH PSYCH! The girl isn't actually Ryuu - it's her daughter! Vipera! (Pronounced Vi to rhyme with 'eye' peer to rhyme with 'leer' ah as it sounds). The whole time it was her, and the parents were Ryuu and Draco. I purposefully made sure I didn't make her childhood seem to wizarding world, because I wanted you to think it was Ryuu – purely to mess with you. Did I fool anyone; or was it totally obvious?

Also – stay tuned for the epilogue.


	48. Epilogue - Eight Years Later

DISCLAIMER: For the last time, I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Well, here it is – the very last one. As always, this story is for Reeah. I would like to thank Callmemisstayla, Guest (you know who you are), Oober, British Beauty x, BunnyMooMooMonster, Neko Of Light, LoneWolfPack, Icecoatedsha, Guest 101, Deanne Ravenwing, CeliaSingsSongs, Gueast, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx and Hufflepuff Rules for their ongoing support. I'd also like to autocorrect for not going crazy on those names.

And lastly, I'd like to thank you for reading.

Oh yeah… should probably mention… I've started writing a sequel. ;)

BETA: My sister, Reeah Noseworthy.

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Epilogue – Eight Years Later

Draco

I groggily opened my eyes. A single ray of sunlight blinded me momentarily, before I shifted my head further up the pillow. My hands scratched through the sheets, searching. When they found no contact, I leaned over to see that the other side of the bed empty. _Not again._

I slid from the bed, my feet surprised at the coolness of the floor. Habitually I glanced down at my right forearm to see the pale outline of the Dark Mark. The same as usual. Safe.

A slight chill prickled at my neck, pleasantly unusual for summer. Taking care not to make too much noise, I walked through the mansion, checking the usual rooms. The Morning Parlour was empty, as was her Office and the Drawing Room. A splendid glow covered Malfoy Manor, brightening with each room I checked. As I walked through the corridors, the portraits began to stir, waking from their slumber. When I glanced out the windows, I saw the albino peacocks strutting through the gardens, plumed heads held high and proud.

I approached the bust of Salazar Slytherin quietly, and lightly tapped on his shoulder to wake him. His stony eyes snapped open and he glared at me with a stare colder than his marble skin. "Have you seen the Lady this morning?" I asked politely.

"Actually, no." he replied grumpily, voice lathered in annoyance. "When one is sleeping, one tends to have their eyes _shut._"

I raised an eyebrow.

The statue pouted before rolling his eyes. "The Library… my _Lord."_ He spat.

"Thank you," I said as I turned to the right.

The sunshine alighted the golden embellishments on the books that lines the walls. The library was a figure-of-eight shape, the shelves upon every wall and reaching all the way up to the glass ceiling. Enchanted ladders slowly moved along the walls. Sometimes the ancient, musty books would wiggle themselves from their place and fly across the room, positioning themselves in a new spot. The high arched window at the very end of the room cast light onto the sleeping figure sprawled upon the couch in a most hilariously undignified manner.

Ryuu Advena Malfoy had sunken into the comforts of the lounge, one foot resting on the antique coffee table, and the other hanging off the edge of the cushion. Her head leaned against the back of the couch, eyes closed and face soft. As always the stubborn curl had escaped from behind her ear and flopped over her face. One hand was dropped over the side of the couch, fingertips brushing the navy blue and gold carpet. Her other hand was loosely clasped around a small, black , leather-bound book that rested on her stomach, which rose and fell with each breath she took. A crimson blanket had crumpled to the floor, the top of it still partially clinging to Ryuu's calf.

I considered waking her, then thought better of it. If there was one thing Hogwarts had taught me, it was to never tickle a sleeping dragon. Especially not a pregnant one.

I sat down on the coffee table, idly flicking my wand at the crimson blanket so it jumped up and covered Ryuu once more. I gently reached towards her face, and as a routine tucked the stray curl behind her ear. Carefully, I manoeuvred the small novel out of her hands and looked down at the open page. _Chapter Eight: Preparation, Location and Discovery._ My fingers slid to the top corner of the page and folded down the paper to mark her place.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?"

I met Ryuu's eyes, which glinted in amusement.

I smirked and returned the book to her hands. She immediately folded the paper back, and closed the novel. "Must a caring husband be continuously battered by the minor annoyances of his nagging wife?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"I was just remarking upon how beautiful you look this fine morning," I said smoothly.

She smiled brilliantly. "That's better." As gracefully as was possible for an uncoordinated pregnant woman, she shifted forwards and kissed me, leaning her forehead against mine. "Happy Birthday." She whispered.

I stared into her eyes which were so close to my own, and noticed it. "Thanks." I whispered back, and she withdrew, sitting herself upright. She placed a hand on her stomach as she spoke, a habit she'd accumulated even before she'd begun showing. "I've arranged a surprise party for you which I _know_ you are aware of because Zabini spilled the beans. He and Reeah can't make it though, because they've gone to China to fill out their adoption papers. Twins, can you believe it? They sent an owl, I left the letter in your study…"

I rested my hand over her own and she stopped rambling. "Why didn't you wake me?" I asked.

Ryuu leaned into the back of the lounge, her face blank. "There was nothing to wake you for."

Our fingers entwined and she looked down at them distractedly. I kept my stare fixed on her expression, trying to decipher her thoughts. As usual, it was impossible. I sighed. "Did you take the potion Reeah prescribed?"

I could feel the cold touch of her serpent ring as she turned her head and looked into me. "I ran out. I'll just have to wait until she comes back from China." She untangled her fingers from mine and placed her hand on her stomach. "I'll be fine."

"I'm worried about you," I continued, holding her stare. "don't act like I have no reason to be." Ryuu's eyes glazed over and I knew she was revisiting one of the instances. I couldn't imagine what went through her mind when she was like that. I remembered waking to her screams, desperately reaching for my wand before I realised the threat to my wife took no physical form. On nights like that, I would hold her tightly as she began to wake, whispering words of comfort until I could hear her breathing return to their normal rhythm. And even then I didn't let go.

I snapped back into reality and caught sight of her face. She was avoiding eye contact, and slightly chewing the inside of her lip. Uncomfortable. Sometimes the night terrors didn't male her scream and she woke to walk around the house, reading books and singing to the baby to keep herself awake. Sometimes she would wake up, terrified and sweating, and forget what the dreams had entailed.

I reached for her hand; pale, smooth. I traced the lines of her fingertips and felt her relaxing, bringing herself back to the present. She squeezed my hand and spoke. "It isn't fair, Draco."

"What is it now, Princess?"

The corners of her mouth twitched and a small laugh escaped from her lips. "Don't call me that," she said methodically, before her eyes narrowed. "It's just – I don't see you waking up hysterically in the dead of the night…" she trailed off, clearly beginning to regret her words. Her hands quickly adjusted the blanket, which had managed to fall down past her waist again. She was right. I rarely experienced nightmares, and they were nowhere as severe as Ryuu's. Her nights were haunted by the past, whereas my darkness was laden with fears of the future. To this day, even though I knew it was impossible, I checked my Mark everyday when I woke, just to be sure. Ryuu and our baby were the only family I had left, and it was my duty to protect them, just like my father had always taught me. I quickly banished the memories of my father before they could grow any further.

Ryuu's hand closed over mine. "I know," she said, as if she'd read my mind.

The temperature of the room rose just enough to leave a pleasant touch of cold in the air. The sun rose over the treetops of the forest surrounding the Manor, and the light shifted as it moved through the glass. Ryuu closed her eyes and let the warmth soak into her pale skin, the stubborn curl protruding from behind her ear again. After a few seconds she opened her eyes again and looked down at the book, smiling as she read the title on the cover.

"Is it good?" I asked.

She nodded and passed it to me. The sunlight ignited the gold lettering: _How I found Goltrups_ by Zacharias Smith_. _"I promised him that I'd already read it." She said mischievously. "He's coming tonight. And Dennis." I groaned and rolled my eyes. She scoffed. "Why do you disapprove of them so much?"

"Not them," I explained, eyeing her. _"Him." _

Ryuu held up her hands innocently. "What's wrong with Zach?"

I looked at her incredulously. "Besides the fact that he finds any excuse to punch me in the face every time he sees me?"

Ryuu 's smile was pressed. "Okay, so he's a_ little_ disgruntled that you married me," I scoffed at her euphemisms. Smith_ loathed_ me. "but he does have some credibility… you _are_ a prick." Ryuu finished matter-of-factly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Thanks Princess. This is the best birthday _ever."_ She grinned as I frowned and muttered curses under my breath. "Next you'll be telling me that you've invited the Pottys and the _Weasels_." I smirked to myself, but Ryuu's victorious grin was quickly shrinking and her cheeks were flushing strawberry red. She laughed shakily. I felt my eyes widen, and when I spoke my voice was low and menacing. _"You didn't…"_

She nervously smiled and hastily planted a kiss on my cheek. "Happy Birthday…!"

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Ryuu

Jonah's handwriting was beautiful. Whenever I received a letter from him I couldn't help but marvel at his print. I supposed that seeing as he was unable to speak, writing down his messages made his words all the more delightful to behold. Even though Jonah had a face that told me everything he was thinking, it was always interesting to gather his tone from his letters.

In the envelope he'd included two vouchers for an _'All-You-Can-Eat-Dinner at __Tranquillitas Restaurant.'_ My mouth almost watered as I read the name of Jonah's restaurant. He'd opened it about six years ago, and a week after that it had peaked in the culinary world as the best place to dine _ever. _Jonah's food was indescribable. There was almost no desire to even try to describe how brilliant it tasted, because your mouth was too busy eating it. In the occasions when Draco and I had dined there, we'd gorged ourselves on meals until the point where it was both ridiculous and pitiful. Once we'd finished three courses of Mains, Draco had asked if I'd wanted to share a desert. I had replied with a yes, but also said that we should order two more deserts individually. Draco had just nodded in assent and called the waiter. By that time I was full but I knew that if I'd have stopped eating, I would've regretted it.

The most fascinating thing about the restaurant however, wasn't the magical taste of Jonah's food. All of the staff were mutes. The entire place was thick with the sound of silence. Even when the place was full, it was entirely tranquil. It was intriguing to watch the intensity of customer's faces as they used their cutlery as silently as possible, so as not to disturb the peace. The only noise in that building was the faint clinks of plates being put down on tables, and the muffled groans of delight as people ate the food. Draco commonly referred to the place as the 'Total Silence Restaurant' – a fair title.

I turned around, admiring the work the House Elves had done to the Dining Room. Century year old candles with long lost wicks were magically ignited, dotting the walls and table with golden light. The sprawling Dining Table had been shrunk to a more quaint size, and the rest of the room had changed to accommodate. Seven chairs were arranged evenly around the table, with a large space left for Hermione. The fireplace roared with an ordinary coloured fire, to take away the eerie green glow that usually lit the room. The portraits had been covered with curtains, so as not to comment on the guests' mannerisms. The table was dressed in a deep green cloth, decorated with silver thread depicting the leaves of a forest. Porcelain plates waited patiently to be filled, as did the ornate glass goblets. Silver cutlery flickered in the candlelight, casting distorted reflections of the world outside the mineral. The Dining Room looked so different from when I had first seen it, all those years ago. Not just the room had changed since then.

I made a mental note to remind Draco to reward the Elves for their handiwork. I would've myself, but I wasn't their Master. Draco had offered to assign me some of the Elves when I'd married him, but I'd declined. I'd never claim ownership of a House Elf again. Not after Tibbli.

I laid a hand on my stomach, and adjusted the long sleeve of my silk dress. It was warm in the room, yet a strange hormonal effect of my pregnancy left me constantly cold. My mother had said she'd had the same thing with me, and then japed that it was probably just my general hostility seeping out through her body. I smiled. Draco certainly found it frustrating. Whenever we left the Manor, he usually had to wear two jackets.

The door opened and Draco entered, looking handsome in his customary black. His silver eyes slid over the table as he approached, the scowl on his face hardly concealed. He wasn't looking forward to the dinner tonight. His gaze swept over me, pausing on the cone hat elasticised to my head. "What is _that?"_

"It's a party hat." I said sweetly, balancing on my tiptoes to place a green one on his head. "It's a muggle thing."

"Why do you make me endure such tedious get-togethers?"

"Why won't you admit that you withhold a secret friendship for everyone I invited?" His face went sour at that, because it was true. His mouth twitched but I raised an eyebrow and he quickly changed the subject.

"Your parents sent me a letter. And there's one for you from that horse-woman too."

"Her name is _Copper,"_ I chided.

"Her name is _Roslyn,"_ he responded, mimicking my tone.

I decided to let that one pass, but smirked as I thought of a new way to mess with him. "What did my parents say?"

Draco leaned against a chair, lip curled and eyes dark. "They wished me a happy thirty-ninth."

I burst into laughter, holding my hand over my mouth in an attempt to control myself. My father always teased that Draco acted too old for his age. Which was a fair mockery, seeing as Draco was one of the most powerful people in the world and only twenty-five. Plus he was a billionaire philanthropist with a dry humour and a petty sense of vengeance for any minor irritation that came his way. However, Draco was averted to the jokes entirely.

At my obvious amusement, Draco had thrown me a look of venom, but I honestly didn't care. "Oh, lighten up. He just does it because you're so awkward around them."

Whenever we met with my parents Draco always managed to squeeze in a few snide remarks that made him look astoundingly ignorant to muggle culture and affairs. My father wasn't any better. From what he'd seen of our lifestyle in Malfoy Manor, he seemed to perceive Draco as some kind of 'playboy.' Usually, by the end of these meetings, both my mother and myself had been reduced to at least three face-palms.

Draco shook his head at my fading laughter. "You should get back to work so you can antagonise your Department instead of me."

I sighed, my tone wistful. "I do miss my job."

The only thing that annoyed me about being pregnant was my leave of absence from my office. I was the Head of my Division, which meant I had to manage my team of a dozen people. As Draco commonly claimed, I was suited to the role of a leader. My team was both awe-inspired by my skill and fearful of my authority. The negative and positive balanced well though, and I was quite fond of my team. Because of this, we were one of the most efficient units in the Ministry and had brought back the former glory of the Curse-Maker Division in a matter of months.

But in fact one of the most satisfying things about my career was the rivalry between myself and the Head of the Curse-Breaker Department. I smirked. Whenever I created a new curse, Ron was always groaning and rolling his eyes; knowing that it would take him and his office weeks to fashion a counter-curse.

Draco idly tucked a ringlet of my hair behind my ear and I wondered if he knew how much I loved him when he did that. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"What do you want for your birthday?" I asked guiltily.

He regarded me with satisfied surprise. "You didn't get me anything?"

"Well," I blurted, "you didn't tell me what you wanted."

He lowered his hands to rest on my shoulders, his mouth twisting into a sly grin. His eyes flashed. "I see…"

I narrowed my eyes at his strange demeanour. "What?"

"Well," Draco began, his tone barely suppressing the effervescent glee behind his words. "It's just peculiar is all. I mean, you _are_ Princess Analytical." I raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Reading people and finding things out is like second nature to you. Yet _you_ need _me_ to tell you want I want for my birthday." He smirked. "How strange…"

I looked at him with scorn, catching on to his train of thought. "Are you going anywhere with this?"

Draco grinned and pointed at his chest. "You can't read me. I'm the _one _person you can't predict."

"And the _one_ person I can't get rid of…" I murmured in annoyance. Draco smiled and placed a hand on my stomach, face turning serious.

"You don't need to get me a present…" I unfolded my arms and allowed a smile. "Because," Draco said, "You're already giving me a son."

I rolled my eyes. "Draco, we don't even know what sex it is-"

"-Hey! That's our son you're talking about."

I sighed. We'd had this conversation countless times. Draco was convinced that our baby was a boy, but I wasn't so sure. Anyway, we'd decided early on that we'd leave it as a surprise and wait until the birth. However, Draco kept insisting he knew the truth. A part of me wondered if his words were more than just jokes and general curiosity. For generations, centuries, the Malfoys had always produced a singular child - a _male_ heir each time. Traditionally, Malfoy Industries had always been managed by the Lord of Malfoy Manor. Well, to be fair, not much of Draco's marriage to me was _traditional._ Yet sometimes I still got the niggling feeling that Draco did want a boy. I liked the idea of a son, but a girl would make me just as happy. But did Draco feel the same? _Stop it, Ryuu. _I scolded myself. _What are you thinking, of course he would. _

The fire burned emerald as the first guests arrived.

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Draco

My hands slid from Ryuu's belly and I led her towards the fireplace. There, dusting cinders from their shoulders, stood Potter and his ginger wife. On my carpet. In my house. The couple looked around the room and caught sight of Ryuu and I simultaneously. My eyes locked and held with Potter's for a few moments before I cleared my throat and inclined my chin. _"Potter."_

"_Malfoy."_ Harry replied lowly.

Ryuu and Ginny observed the intense scene from the sidelines before stepping forward to embrace one another. "Lovely to see you, Ryuu." Ginny said warmly.

"And you. Who's taking care of Teddy and little James?"

Ginny stepped back and shared a glance with Harry. "Mum is. Although as we were walking out, it sounded like James had already set something on fire."

"What a charming child." I said slickly.

Ryuu made a conscious effort to tred on my foot as she went to hug Harry. I hid the painful twist in my mouth with a small laugh and grimaced in Ryuu's direction, which made Ginny giggle. The ginger was quite potent at picking up our silent banter of glances and expressions. _How annoying. _

Harry smiled warmly at _my_ wife. "How far along are you now?"

"Six months." She replied.

Harry nodded. "You look great."

_Did I give you permission to look at my wife, Potter? _My mouth twitched as I suppressed the urge to open it. Ryuu glanced at me with contempt as she thanked Harry for his kindness and Ginny smirked again.

Ryuu politely offered the guests a seat and placed me next to them at the head of the table. Harry and Ginny put on their party hats as the rich faire wine that they had gifted me began to pour itself into all of the goblets, save Ryuu's. In unison, Harry and I lifted our goblets, took a single sip and raised our glasses to prepare a toast. Just before we did, we noticed our random act of similarity and quickly placed our goblets back on the table, looking away in different directions.

"So, Ginny." Ryuu began, curiosity prickling at her lips, "What's the big news you wanted to tell us? Something to do with your team?"

Ginny shook her head, liquid brown eyes seasoned with mischief. "No, the Harpies are same as usual. We go on tour in August, making it back in time for the World Cup."

"That's great," Ryuu said supportively before pausing and raising an eyebrow. "We get free tickets, right?"

Ginny grinned. "Despite the fact that you're drowning in your piles of money; yes."

Ryuu smiled and held her hand over her heart, eyes misty. "I always believed in you."

Harry took another sip of the delicious wine and turned to me, adjusting his third and fourth eyes. "How's the business Malfoy?"

"Thriving; how's yours?"

Harry narrowed his eyes and Ryuu glanced at me with a look that could freeze over several small villages. "Still unemployed, Draco." Harry said evenly. "Children don't just take care of themselves."

"I'm sure that housewives everywhere agree with you-"

"-As will you," Ryuu interjected smoothly, emerald eyes widening slightly. "When we have our baby." She smiled pleasantly. "You mainly work from home, anyway."

"But Ryuu," I added, making my tone sound patronising as I raised my goblet. "Our son will be no trouble."

Ryuu had just opened her mouth to reply when a burst of sound and colour crackled in the fireplace. The tall red-haired figure of Weasley walked around the table, hands in pockets and head inclined towards the ceiling. Granger was with him, her enchanted wheelchair rolling smoothly around the table to stop in the space next to Ryuu. As my wife embraced Granger, Ron spoke, his blue eyes flickering from one wall to the next. "Blimey, this place is creepy. Like a bloody snake's den-"

"-Better than a weasel hole." I remarked with a sneer.

Ron looked over, noticing the table as if for the first time. His stare fixed on me and he nodded slowly, voice switching from colloquially conversational to closeted irritation. _"Malfoy."_

"_Weasley."_

Ginny laughed into the back of her hand. "Is that how you greet everyone?" she mused. She forced her face to go blank and nodded towards non-existent people, speaking in an exaggerated gruff voice. _"Potter. Weasley. Minister. Wife." _

"Of course not," I replied, when Harry joined in with Ginny's chortles. "I don't speak to my wife." They laughed harder and Ryuu smiled.

Ron took the seat next to Harry . Hermione took a glance at Ryuu's stomach and grinned. "Getting closer now… when are you due again?"

"September." Ryuu replied as the wine filled Hermione's goblet. "Around the twenty-fourth."

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Ron asked, tucking his napkin into his collar even though the food had not yet been served.

"_You_ will have no contribution whatsoever into the naming of my son." I warned him.

Ron grimaced. "A boy eh? Just what the world needs… a miniature Draco-prat."

"Miniature Draco-Prat Malfoy – hmm…" Ginny leaned her head onto her hand in mock consideration. "It has a bit of a ring to it." Laughter vibrated throughout the table.

"We haven't been able to decide on a name." Ryuu confessed once the merriment had died down. "We're not sure what sex it is – so we could go with anything at the moment." At that, I began to open my mouth but Ryuu turned to Potter. "You've named babies before, Harry. Have any ideas?"

_I will die before my child is named by Harry James Potter, _I told Ryuu in a glance, but she ignored me. Harry leaned back in his chair. "Well," he began. "I named James after my father and Sirius, and I was thinking if I had another son I'd go with two people who protected me." His green eyes glinted as I took a sip of the faire wine. "Albus Severus."

I choked on the delicious drink as I felt the laughter bubbling on my tongue. _Albus Severus Potter! _Never had a heard a name more ridiculous. I coughed, trying to control myself as the table was completely silent. Ryuu's eyes had widened and her entire face was unnaturally still. I saw that she too, was trying to stop herself from bursting into hysterical fits of laughter, and her cheeks flushed red. I raised a napkin to my mouth, smirking behind it and 'coughing'. Every face at the table had turned to Ryuu, who suddenly realised the reaction she was supposed to have and stitched on a withering smile. Slowly, I watched her mind look for the right words before her mouth twitched into action and she cleared her throat, nodding towards Harry.

"It's pretty." She whispered, her voice strained from suppression. "But - um…." She trailed off.

"Ryuu," I cut in, regaining my composure and lowering the napkin. When I spoke my voice was smooth and sincere. "I would like to name our son Severus Albus."

She blinked at me with derision. Harry jolted upright in his seat. "Hey, those are my names! You can't do that!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ryuu said quickly. "You can have Albus Severus, Harry." She glanced at me with a _don't make me laugh_ look, a smirk shifting on her lips.

"In that case then," Ron began. _Oh, here we go. First Potter and now Weasel. _He idly tapped the glass stem of his goblet and regarded Ryuu with an almost sympathetic stare. "What about Luna?"

"Oh, I wanted to name my daughter that!" Harry blurted and Ginny regarded him with wide eyes.

"How many children are we having?" she asked incredulously. Harry shrugged.

Ryuu hadn't moved. She looked down at her plate for a moment, one hand on her stomach before shaking her head. "No. I wouldn't name the baby that." Her voice sounded distant. "Luna was my _sister. _I just… wouldn't feel okay if I named my daughter after her."

There was a short silence- before Harry broke it. "Then, can I have Luna?"

Ryuu rolled her eyes and smiled in an exhausted kind of way. "Yes, you can have Luna." Harry smiled as he straightened in his seat, and when he caught my raised eyebrow he simply shrugged and sipped his wine, pleased with himself.

"So, anyway." Hermione cut in, "how is the baby?"

"_Aguamenti" _Ryuu tapped her empty goblet with her wand and it filled with water. She took a sip, glancing over at Hermione and shrugging.

"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked after a short pause.

Ryuu's palm rested on her stomach and she exchanged a glance with me before speaking. "Well… it's just, the baby hasn't been moving around a lot… at all."

A silence thickened and curdled at the table. The men turned their attention to the goblets of wine placed in front of them, and Ginny and Hermione shared a glance. The red haired woman slid her untouched wine closer to her husband and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Have you felt anything yet?"

Ryuu's face went blank and she slowly shook her head, eyes shining. As I glanced around at the expressions of the guests, it was clear what they were thinking, and I could see that Ryuu had noticed the same. I slid my hand across the table and clasped Ryuu's palm, breaking the quiet. "Physician Thompson said it was a small baby, but perfectly healthy." Ryuu smiled in time with me.

"I suppose I can deal with having a son that's a bit short." I added, to stir her into speech, even if it was arguing.

"Hope it's a girl." Ron said, inspecting his cutlery as if he was checking to see if it was laced with poison. _Or perhaps he's never seen silver before. _"It'd confuse the hell out of Malfoy."

Repressed laughter circled around the table, but I spoke over them, snarling at Ron. "You can talk _Weasley._ I'd be curious to see what kind of child you and Granger produce." I let go of Ryuu's hand and leaned back in my chair, leering. "A wild bush of ginger hair over large walrus teeth."

Everyone burst into guilty giggles, except Ron, who shook his head in disgust. He turned to Ryuu, blue eyes icy. "Why did you marry such a prick?" he complained.

"Why did you marry such a walrus?" As soon as Ryuu had said it, she slapped her hands over her mouth and stared with wide eyes, the shocked silence of the dinner table ringing throughout the room. Hermione laughed first, much to my surprise. Ryuu began to mutter her apologies, but Hermione waved them away with a nonchalant hand. Harry was the next to quiver with chortles and his wife quickly followed suit. After a long pause, Ron grinned and raised his glass towards Ryuu, accepting the cutting remark.

"I apologise sincerely for my wife's awful behaviour," I said with mock disdain. "Ryuu, I thought I'd explained this to you – no longer can you be rude to our friends like this." I scolded with a smirk.

Ryuu was bright red and shaking her head, hand still covering her mouth. "Merlin save me," she whispered, beginning to smile. "I'm turning into a Malfoy."

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLL

Ryuu

Zach and Dennis arrived just before we were about to give up on them and serve dinner. A welcoming smile spread across my face as I went to greet them, but I paused, continuing to stare at them from my seat. My mouth went slack in disbelief as I _really_ noticed it and I gasped.

"_What_ is on your face?" I said to Zach.

Zach froze, raising his eyebrows over the rectangular frames of the random glasses that now resided on the very edge of his nose. "Umm…" he began, "skin? A nose? Two eyes-?"

"-General unpleasantness." Draco chimed in. Zach's lip curled and his hand twitched as he regarded my husband. Draco raised his goblet in a 'what are you going to do about it?' sort of way.

"_Malfoy."_ Zach spat as greeting.

"_Smith."_ Draco responded.

Ginny giggled.

"I meant," I began, directing Zach's attention back to me. "Why are you wearing those glasses? Are you suddenly blind?"

"Only with stupidity." Dennis said cheerfully. He gave me a hug in greeting and took his seat next to Ron.

Zach came forward and planted a kiss on my cheek. My eyebrow was still raised in question and he shrugged as he moved towards the end of the table – the last seat which had been left as far away from Draco as possible. "I just thought I'd try them out," he said. "I'm a writer now, and spectacles make me look more sophisticated."

"In the way that a chimp can look classy if you give it a top hat." I muttered, and Hermione giggled.

"I think glasses are sexy." Ginny stated and Zach smiled, throwing me a smug look. Ginny smirked and looked over to her husband. "Right Harry?"

Harry adjusted his own glasses, turning redder by the second. He laughed shakily as Ron's expression changed; his lips pressed together, his ears blushed and his eyes widened in a way that suggested her would rather be anywhere other than here. I latched on to the awkwardness with no mercy. "So tell us Harry, what kinky sex games do you and Ginny get up to with your glasses?"

Harry's complexion was now more crimson than Gryffindor pride. "Th-that's… I don't know what you're talking about." He babbled.

Ginny leaned over to me and stage-whispered. "I'll tell you later."

"What?" Harry said, green eyes wide as a startled rabbits'. "No, you'll be telling no one _anything." _

Ginny blinked innocently. "Of course not, I wouldn't tell a soul," she recited, brown eyes flitting over to Hermione, who glanced guiltily at Zach, who threw a cautious look at Dennis, whose gaze slid to Draco from over the top of his goblet. Draco looked over to me and winked. Harry watched this channel of eye contact and turned his head aside from Ron, who was submersing himself in the succulent escape of the faerie wine.

Dennis decided to slice through the intensity with a gift wrapped box. "Happy Birthday," he wished Draco as the gift floated down the table, stopping over Draco's plate.

"Are we giving out presents now?" Ron asked, a grin stretching across his face and eyes shining. Before I could answer he'd already sat up straight and gestured urgently towards his wife. "'Mione, pass us the bag." Hermione straightened her long skirt and twisted around, hands reaching behind her wheelchair. She produced a small beaded bag , which Ron accepted form her in a manner of barely controlled joy. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but was distracted from the Weasley's unusual behaviour when Dennis asked Ginny about her big news.

"Oh right," she said easily, leaning her chin onto the back of her hand. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"_WHAT?!" _Harry blurted, dropping the wine goblet that his wife hadn't touched. Ginny smiled at his shock and turned to him, sliding her hand into his.

"I only realised a few days ago. I noticed I was getting a bit big, but I just thought I'd had a big lunch." Ginny shrugged at the wide staring eyes of Harry, Ron, Zach and Dennis. Hermione was beaming. "But then I realised I was late. I figure I'm about three months along, which means I won't be able to go on tour with the Harpies." She frowned slightly before doing a sideways nod and smiling at the still bewildered expression on her husband's face."So… what do you say?"

Harry's mouth was still hanging open and he quickly closed it. He grinned and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek, laughing. "I love you so much." He then quickly placed his hands on Ginny's belly. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy." Ginny nodded. "Definitely feels like a boy." She rolled her eyes at me, smiling. _"Another one."_

There was a few minutes of the usual baby-talk, where everyone congratulated the couple and wished Ginny good health. Ron hugged his younger sister and his best friend. Zach made a snide remark about the terrors of babies and Dennis covered it over with a compliment towards the Potter's current children. Harry declared Albus Severus as a winning name, and when the timid silence erupted, I quickly added: "You can call him Al, for short." That seemed to get everyone out of the awkward stupor and back into casual conversation.

Ron asked Dennis about work. _"_I only recently came back from Australia. Had to go to the outback to find the best kind of eucalyptus trees. It's going to take me weeks to prepare the wood for magic. It needs to be specially conditioned before it can be made into wands. But that's the easy part," Dennis sighed. "You have no idea how hard it is to find unicorn hair on the market these days."

''That's because they're going extinct." Hermione added sadly. "Unicorns are like butterflies -they tend not to live for very long. But I suggested to my boss that we should make a sanctuary for them, somewhere where they can be protected for a few years."

"But you're the only female in the Protection of Magical Creatures Department," Harry said. "You'd have to round up all of the unicorns single handedly."

"True," she replied. "But it's worth it, don't you think?" Her brown eyes glinted.

A few years ago, when Hermione had first applied for a position in the Protection of Magical Creatures Department, I'd been a bit confused. Hermione was extremely intelligent and her talents could've been used for higher purposes. But she hadn't lost her high aspirations. She'd personally confided her plans to me.

Ever since the war had ended, Hermione's ideals of equality in the magical world had only flourished. Years ago, when I'd asked about her new career she'd explained to me about S.P.E.W - an anagram that I still deemed ridiculous. We'd discussed the Ministry Of Magic Classification System of 1811, and how Centaurs had been placed into the category of 'beast'. Hermione considered this to be unfair, seeing as Centaurs were capable of human intelligence, and no matter how many times I pointed out that the Centaurs had refused to be labelled as 'beings' because they didn't want to be classed as equal to vampires and hags, she was too stubborn to listen. "Centaurs are incredibly smart creatures," she would always say. "They're perfectly capable of understanding wizarding culture and merging into society."

"But it isn't about what they _can_ do, Hermione. It's what they _will_ do," I would argue back. "I completely agree with you. Centaurs are treated like animals when they should be considered humans, but things aren't going to change unless they can somehow get over their pride and decide for themselves to become a member of society, follow wizarding law and comply to the Ministry. Which won't happen."

However, Hermione remained determined. Although we could debate for hours about Centaurs we were completely on the same page about werewolves. Hermione had organised several campaigns over the years to secure rights for werewolves and establish their promotion from 'beast' to 'being'. The Minister strongly supported her arguments, but he wasn't the only person who had a say in this matter. I admired Hermione and all her hard work immensely.

I flickered back to the present and looked over to Draco, curious as to what Zach and Dennis had gifted him. He'd unwrapped the present to reveal a small, thin photo frame. I couldn't see the picture from where I was sitting, but Draco's eyes were locked on the photograph inside. His silver stare gleamed with emotion and I was taken aback. "Where did you get this?" His voice was heavy, and as smooth as his face.

"Colin." Zach answered, arms crossed over his chest. He regarded Draco with a slight smirk.

Dennis smiled at my earnest face. "I was looking through some of his old photos and found a few from your wedding."

"But we hired him, same as Dad." I said, "he gave us all the photos he took."

"Not all…" Zach began.

"…The focus was a little off in this one." Dennis finished.

I held my hand out to Draco and after a slight hesitation he passed me the frame. As my eyes met the scene, I felt myself being transported back to the moment captured. A crowd blurred about us, talking amongst themselves, sipping champagne and nibbling on appetisers. I stood beside a pillar decorated in blue roses. I looked beautiful in my fitted white dress. I picked anxiously at the white laced sleeves, searching the mess of people for any sign of him. I smiled absently at loved ones and colleagues who passed me by, well wishing and complimenting. All of a sudden he appeared from behind me, and stood at my side. For a millisecond we stared at each other, before embracing into a passionate kiss. I remembered the feeling that had enveloped me at that second. A feeling of love, happiness, safety. It was our wedding day, and I was finally married to him; Draco, who for too long I hadn't believed I'd be allowed to love.

"Wow, that's a good photo." Hermione said from over my shoulder, as the couple in the picture broke apart and grinned at each other.

"Let me see," Ginny demanded and I passed it over the table to her and Harry.

Harry pointed at the scene. "Oh, there's Ryuu… and that's Draco there, and-" he broke off, eyes widening as Ginny smiled. "Oh…" he concluded.

"Problem, Potter?" Draco sneered.

"Not really." Harry replied, leering in response. "I'll probably just never quite get used to you putting your tongue down my friend's throat."

"And I'll never get used to you, considering my wife to be your _friend."_

As Harry's eyes began to narrow and I prepared to place my face in my palm, Ron cried out enthusiastically. "Our turn!" His blue eyes sparkled as he practically jumped out of his seat and handed Draco a large cardboard box with holes stabbed into the lid. The box made a strange scratching sound as Ron placed it before Draco, and it seemed to move around inch by inch, _independently._

I eyed Hermione suspiciously, who blushed and quickly picked up her goblet to hide her uncomfortable twitching mouth. _What's going on? _I mentally questioned Ginny and then Dennis, but everyone else seemed to be confused as I was. The box was more than peculiar, and Draco could see that too. He anxiously placed his hands on the lid and raised an eyebrow at Ron. "Is this full of Dungbombs, Weasley?"

Ron shook his head, but his compressed smirk seemed to suggest that something more mischievous was afoot. "Open it." He said in a tone that hinted at a dare.

Draco regarded the box once more before hesitantly, lifting the lid and carefully peering inside, obviously expecting some form of explosion. There was a few seconds of suspense as Draco looked down into the contents of the parcel, his expression completely blank and unreadable. Then, he calmly placed the lid back on the box, took a deep breath and lunged from his chair, wand in hand as he chased Ron around the room yelling obscenities. _"WEASLEY!"_ Draco roared, firing hexes that Ron dodged as he dashed madly in circles like a hunted hare, grinning and laughing.

The occupants of the table watched these proceedings with wide eyes and a shocked silence. "It's finally happened…" Harry began. "Malfoy's _actually _trying to kill Ron."

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALFOY!" _Ron yelled in delight as he ducked under a curse that I could've sworn looked green. "I saw it and thought of you!"

Draco snarled and chased him towards the fireplace, wand forgotten and fists intent on pummelling. _"Curse you, Weasley! _I swear on my family that I will steal your firstborn son and raise him as a Malfoy, and then when he's come of age, I'll send him back to you and he'll _punch you in the face!"_

"He really put a lot of thought into that, didn't he?" Ginny commented casually, as Harry hurried over to the box and looked inside. Once he had, he keeled over, squirming on the floor in uncontrollable laughter. Ron jumped over him as he narrowly escaped a lunge from Draco. Ginny followed her husband's lead, and also took a look inside the box. I joined her, and when I saw what was inside, I felt myself blanch.

Staring back at me with beady black eyes was a pure white ferret.

"Whoa," Ginny smiled as she reached down a hand. The ferret sniffed her fingers curiously, before scampering up her arm and onto her shoulder, encircling its tail around her neck for balance. It nudged her forehead against her ear playfully and Ginny giggled. "He is _so_ cool."

"_Actually,"_ Hermione interrupted, pointing at the ferret. "Malfoy is a _she."_

"You named it Malfoy." Zach said, smirking. He leaned back in his chair and continued to watch Ron and Draco's mad race around the Dining Room; Dennis looking on beside him, mouth agape. "Today is a good day," Zach proclaimed poetically. He swallowed some wine and lifted his goblet high, as if in toast.

I groaned as I looked over the scene. Red-faced Harry paralysed with silent chortles; Ginny stroking the ferret; Hermione sipping idly at her wine with a smile on her lips; Draco trying to kill Ron and Zach sitting back to enjoy the show, with a terrified Dennis looking at me for help. _It's always so nice to have my friends over for dinner, _I thought, before I felt it.

It wasn't painful so much as it was unexpected. I gasped as I placed a hand on my stomach, frowning in confusion. I staggered slightly, grabbing a hold of Draco's chair to steady myself. Instantly, the room went silent as I felt it again, more persistent this time. Before I had fully realised what was happening, Draco was at my side, face serious, a hand on my shoulder. His eyes searched mine. "Ryuu? What's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's the baby," I began, and his jaw locked. "It just kicked." I managed to say, although my voice sounded distant.

The room seemed to sigh in relief and there was a rush of movement as everyone got to their feet and came towards me. Draco grinned at me, and placed a hand on my stomach, muttering in disbelief as the baby kicked again. "Lemme through, lemme through!" Zach said as he too, placed a hand on my stomach. Hermione wheeled her chair closer and felt the baby as well, followed by Harry, Ron, Ginny and Dennis. I stood there, stock still as everyone held a hand on my stomach, smiling and whispering to each other excitedly.

"Umm… okay." I said awkwardly, "You can all just go ahead and touch me then…"

It was only when I voiced my discomfort that everyone seemed to realise what they were doing. There was a symphony of "Oh, right," and "Yeah, sorry…" as the crowd moved back to their seats until only Draco remained, and I couldn't help beaming at him as he looked at me. The food appeared on the table and the guests began to eat, but my husband drew me a few feet aside to mutter to me in private.

"So, everything's okay?" Draco asked, still a bit concerned.

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course. What, did you think I was going into labour or something?"

He adjusted my party hat, which had gone slightly askew. "Well, there was no way I could've been sure…" he murmured.

"Draco." I said, lowly. "Do you see a baby?"

He laughed at me, before breaking off into a snarl. His eyes flickered back to Ginny, who still had the ferret coiled around her shoulders. She handed the creature a small cube of cheese, and the ferret nibbled at it, long bushy tail swishing back and forth. "We're _not_ going to let him get away with this." Draco stated, tone sinister.

I lifted my hand to his face and turned it so he was looking down at me once more. "Of course we won't…" I smirked wickedly. "We'll teach it to hunt weasels."

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Draco

When the dinner had concluded, and I noticed Ryuu beginning to yawn, I politely began to usher everyone towards the fireplace and the fuck out of my Manor. It took some time, and a few of them tried to give me a 'birthday hug.' Whether this was from the effects of the wine, or their misconception of friendship was unclear, but - _entirely_ for Ryuu's sake of course – I accepted.

It was only when I'd pulled the party hat from my head and turned back to face the Dining Room that I realised Ryuu was gone. I glanced around the darkening room, eyes scrolling over the slumbering ferret curled up in the centre of the table, until I noticed the window. She was standing just outside, on the pavement that encircled the Gardens. The stars twinkled above her, and the moon glow highlighted her pale skin. The breeze ruffled her golden hair, and I watched her fold her arms over her chest. _She's cold again._

Shrugging off my jacket, I walked out of the Dining Room.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLL

Ryuu

As I stood outside in the chilling breeze, I decided that stars were my favourite thing about the natural world. They were simply so beautiful. Silver lights peppering the ink black curtain of night, pinpricking the endlessness of the universe. _No wonder humans have always wondered, _I thought as I lifted my hands to my shoulders in an attempt to get warmer. The breeze was barely present, and the night didn't posses the sharp nip of cold that it usually would have, but I was still freezing.

"Here," Draco's voice slid into my ears as he hunched his jacket over my shoulders. I turned to face him, surprised to see his white, button up shirt.

"You haven't got a second jacket?" I remarked questioningly.

He raised his eyebrows. "It's not even the slightest bit chilly, Princess."

I sighed, annoyed at how fragile I must seem and slid my arms into the sleeves. "Don't call me that," I pestered out of routine.

And, out of routine, he chose to ignore me. "So what brings you out here on this fine summer's night? Sick of my company?"

"Naturally," I chided, "but there's a bigger reason than that." I looked back up at the stars, placing my hands over my stomach. "It's in your mother's family tradition to name children after star constellations. I figured we could get some ideas."

"I thought we were going to go with Severus Albus."

"Well," I sideways nodded, in mock consideration. "It's not as bad as Albus Severus." We laughed to ourselves for a moment, before stopping the chuckles with an immense surge of willpower. I sighed. The name was truly hilarious, but I felt sorry for the poor child. "So," I began, changing the topic. I pointed up at the sky. "Do you know any constellations?"

"Of course I do." Draco said, "And I have been thinking about a few for the name." I raised my eyebrow inquisitively and he pointed into a far off place in the sky. My eyes followed his finger onto a cluster of stars that I couldn't picture into anything. "What about Scorpius?"

"_No."_ I said without a seconds hesitation.

"What's wrong with Scorpius?" Draco argued.

I looked at him with an expression of disbelief. _"Scorpius Malfoy? _Draco, why do you hate our child? What are we supposed to nickname him? Scorpy?!" I shook my head. _"No. _Not a chance. Besides, we aren't even certain it's a boy."

"What else could it be?" Draco asked, turning me to face him.

"A _girl."_ I said with derision. "Ever considered that possibility?!" I snapped, shrugging my shoulders out of his hands.

I began to step away, but he clasped my hand and brought me closer, enveloping me in an embrace. I was still seething with anger, but I remained in his arms and simply waited for him to release me. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and I felt my rage begin to ebb away. _Damn my mood swings, _I thought in annoyance. _I'm trying to prove a point. _But despite my irritation towards him, I found myself relaxing into his hug. And then I was speaking to him in a tone that wasn't angry.

"I just… don't think it's a boy. And I'm not just saying that." Draco drew back, so he could look me in the eye. I adjusted his jacket around myself and continued. "She _feels_ like a girl to me."

"Well," Draco started carefully, knowing that his words were skating on thin ice, "Whenever I talk to him, I feel like I'm talking to a boy."

My fingertips stroked over my stomach again, and I considered. Draco_ did_ talk to the baby almost every night. Sometimes at such length that I would drift to sleep. He called it Little One, and often ranted to it about some cutting prank that Harry or Ron had done to him. He usually finished his conversation with a distinct mantra of: _'Because that's what Weasleys _(or Potters)_ do.' _I supposed that Draco had as much of an argument as I did when it came to the gender of our child. Although I'd agreed to leaving it as a surprise, the suspense was killing me. I wanted to know, and from the look in his eye I could tell that Draco did too.

He tucked a ringlet of my hair behind my ear. "Why don't I book an appointment with Physician Thompson tomorrow, and we can find out then?"

I felt myself pouting. I knew what the night ahead was going to be like. Constant remarks from both of us with inferences of being correct and the other being wrong, until we eventually fell into a relentless tennis match of: "It's a girl," and _"No,_ it's a boy." _If only there was a way we could find out now, _I began to think, when the idea struck me. I bit down on my lip and looked up at Draco, the thought ticking over in my head. His eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well…" I blurted, before pausing and shuffling my feet. "There is a way we could find out _now."_

Draco's frown deepened as he heard my tone. "What do you mean?"

I cleared my throat, feeling like a horrible mother. "I just… well I was thinking," I slowly circled my palm over my stomach and let the words tumble out. "You're a master at Legilimency. The baby's mind is developing now. Maybe you could - _take a look."_ The last words caught in my throat as Draco's eyes widened and his mouth twisted in disgust.

"Are you suggesting that I invade the premature mind of my unborn child?!" he gasped.

"No, not _invade!" _I retorted, hurt. "Just… kind of… peek." As I said it, I heard how horrible it sounded and hated myself a little.

Draco shook his head in astonishment. "That's insane."

"Audacious," I agreed.

"Ludicrous."

"Preposterous."

"Atrocious."

"Mental." I finished, nodding. "Want to try it?"

"No." Draco said sternly. "No, Ryuu. I'm not going to encourage your sick, _twisted_ methods."

"I know how crazy I sound," I placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath my palm. "But just hear me out, please." His face relaxed, but his eyes remained stony. I didn't blame him. Draco had been both a victim and an inflictor of Legilimency, and he knew the effect it had on people.

"Okay," I started. "Now, I'm not saying you should force your way into the baby's mind. Isn't there a way where you can just, ease in – without causing confusion or pain?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard of that before. Legilimency is a method of attack." The wind picked up and I shivered, moving closer to him to steal some of his warmth.

"Well, why don't you just try it?" I whispered, glancing about as I heard an owl hoot.

He regarded me with an expression of mild surprise. "Well, if you're willing to volunteer…" he said with a smirk flittering across his lips.

I blinked stupidly. _Damn. _I hadn't thought about the repercussions of that statement. Many a time Draco had commented that he wanted to understand how I thought, and I had just provided him with a prime window to catch a glance at my mind. But I couldn't back down now, not when his eyes were glinting like that. In a matter of seconds, this situation had become a challenge, and my pride was too big not to accept. "Fine." I replied resolutely, and I caught Draco's eyes waver in a slight hesitation. He didn't want to hurt me, but I was willing now.

"Alright then," he replied. He placed his hands on my shoulders and moved me closer. His arm hooked around my waist to support my back and he placed his other hand beside my face, his fingers touching my left temple. I felt a shiver of uneasiness prickle through me as he murmured. "If you feel too uncomfortable, just say so and I'll stop, okay?"

I nodded.

"Look at me." Draco said clearly, and I stared into his eyes. "Clear your mind. Relax." A few seconds of silence passed before Draco spoke again. "You're not relaxing."

"Sorry," I murmured and took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. Blanking my mind was more difficult than I'd imagined. I was fully aware of the fact that my thoughts were about to be accessed by someone other than myself. My mind had always been a safe place for me, a place where I could get away with anything. And I didn't like the idea of anyone, even Draco who I trusted with my life, prying through it.

Suddenly, Draco leaned close and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss, and I was automatically relieved of worry. When he retracted and I looked in his eyes, I knew I was safe. Of course I was safe. With another deep breath, I felt myself relax and then-

I gasped.

Suddenly, I was blind. Everything that I had seen before; the stars, Draco, his eyes – they'd all vanished. It was as if my eyes were closed, but with a sort of _finality._ I knew I was unable to open them. I could still feel my body. I could feel the material of my dress against my skin, the brush of the breeze through my hair, the heaviness of the child inside me. I could still feel myself touching Draco, and feel his fingers at my temple. But I was deaf too. The sounds of the trees whispering in the wind, and the nocturnal animals hunting in the shadows were gone. A spark of panic began to flicker within me. I wasn't in pain, and even though I was aware of what was happening to me I was still unable to overcome the shock.

_It's okay, _I heard a voice say. _You're doing well. _So I wasn't deaf. I knew that voice. Draco. Of course… he was speaking to me in my mind. As soon as I'd recognised the voice, I could see again. But I wasn't so much_ seeing_ as I was _watching._ Watching memories. Waking up to see Draco beside me. His smile. His eyes. The feeling of his hand within my own. His expression as he wrote down important notes. The day we'd had a picnic in Paris, and I'd forced him to wear my incredibly feminine hat.

_You still remember that? _Draco said, amused.

_How am I supposed to stop you from forgetting if I don't remember myself? _I felt myself smirk. His laugh vibrated through my mind and then began to withdraw, until it seemed to be only an echo.

And then I was back. Still standing in the same position, with Draco looking down at me. I felt myself smiling, and Draco did the same. "That wasn't so bad," I remarked.

"No, it wasn't." he agreed, loosening his arm from my waist and placing his hands on my belly. His lips twisted. "But you recognise me, and trust me. It might not be the same with the baby."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, with narrowed eyes. "It knows who you are, Draco. Why do you think it kicked for the first time tonight?" Draco shrugged and I smirked. "It's because it heard you screaming death threats at Ron, and recognised its father."

He regarded me with a look of derision as I giggled, before returning his attention to my stomach. He took a deep breath and I watched his face focus. I waited patiently, watching his eyes as they began to harden in concentration. I felt a slight stirring inside, and knew again that it was the baby. A smile grew across Draco's face and he began to whisper what he was saying in the mind of our child.

"Little One," he started, and I felt the stirring increase. "It's me. I'm your father. You're safe with me, Little One. I'll always keep you safe."

I considered if there had been a moment if I had loved him more than I did now. I slid my hand down over his own, as his eyes began to change, and I watched his face flicker. Then, to my utter amazement, a tear rolled down Draco's cheek. He blinked out of his Legimens state and back into reality. I squeezed his hand, concerned. "What is it?" I asked. "Draco, what's wrong?"

He stared at me with sparkling silver eyes and smiled. "It's a girl."

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_The blonde girl with the green eyes was attentive._

_Her Daddy sat before her, and he was speaking to her with an intensity on his face that Vipera hadn't seen before. Granted, she was very young – in fact, she could barely walk. However, Vipera sensed that what her father was trying to convey to her was of upmost importance, so she stopped playing with the stuffed griffin that her Uncle Harry had given her, and listened. _

"_Okay, Little One." Daddy said, quietly. "I want you to do something for me now, can you do this Vi? I want you to say… DAD-DY."_

_Vipera felt her head nodding as she concentrated on the words that she barely understood. "DAD-DY." Daddy said again, and the girl nodded. "Do you think you can say that?" Her father's eyebrow lifted twice rapidly and she laughed, a delightful little gurgle. _

_Her Daddy grasped her little hands in his own and Vipera tried once more to listen and repeat. "DAD-DY." Her father said again. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but the action seemed to alien to comprehend. Her father narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Hmmm… okay, how about this? DRA-CO." _

_But that only confused the girl even more. Vipera was a very expressive infant, and conveyed her confusion by rapidly blinking in quick succession, her mouth firmly closed. Her father got the message. "Your right, that's a bit difficult…" once again, he thought. "What about… FATH-ER."_

_Vipera opened and closed her mouth but that word was too tricky. Her father smirked. "Okay then, try this. I HATE WEAS-LEY."_

_The small girl laughed again and her mouth began to operate. "We-we-weezzeeyy…"_

_The father's face flickered to panic. "No, no!" he quickly hushed his daughter to quiet. "Not that word. Say DAD-DY. Daddy. Go on, try and say DAD-DY. Say it before you say 'Mummy'." He finished. Daddy had always been a little annoyed that Vipera had inherited her mother's eyes. According to him, it made his child more like her mother than like him, despite the fact that Vipera had his straight white-blond hair. _

"_If you say DAD-DY." He continued, "I will let you play with Venator." Vipera loved the ferret, and clapped her tiny hands in delight whenever she brought home a limp weasel. _

_She wet her lips and really focused. She only dimly noticed her mother come into the room and say "Draco, what are you doing?" _

_Vipera took a breath and forced out the sounds, one syllable at a time. "DAD-DY. Daddy. Daddy!" she clapped her hands._

_Her mother gasped as her father punched the air in victory. "You!" Mummy yelled, pointing a finger at Daddy. "You did this on purpose!"_

"_I did not. She just picked which parent she preferred and blessed her beautiful voice with their name." _

"_You!" Mummy leapt at Daddy, tackling him to the ground as he laughed. "You manipulative… horrid… snake Draco Malfoy! Poisoning our daughter's mind with your obscene methods!" She battered at him playfully, and he embraced her in a hug._

"_Daddy!" Vipera exclaimed again. "M-Mu-Mummy!"_

_Draco and Ryuu looked over to their daughter, who was watching their not-so-parental display of maturity with innocent green eyes. The mother lifted the daughter into her own hands and eyed her husband with irritation. When he only smirked at her, she murmured "Prat."_

"_Purr-at." Vipera repeated clumsily, before correcting herself. "Prat."_

_The mother's eyes widened and Draco gasped, pointing his finger at Ryuu. "You, manipulative, horrid… snake-Ryuu Malfoy! Poisoning our daughter's mind with your heinous swearing!" _

_Vipera laughed at the expression on her mother's face; shock, mingled with the increasing flush of embarrassed pink. Her father joined in, kissing his wife on the cheek. Ryuu eventually smiled and tried to explain to Vipera that 'prat' was a bad word, but the girl was still thoroughly amused by the antics of her parents. Sometimes the girl thought they were incredibly silly, and other times they seemed to know everything. Yet they were constant, and the girl couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been there. Vipera grasped her mother's hand and looked down in surprise at the gleaming silver ring coiled around her finger. She could see the reflection of her face in the deep green jewel at the centre, and the girl remembered all the times she had noticed the ring. She wondered where her Mummy had gotten it._

_Vipera smiled to herself as she noticed both of her parents' surprised faces at her behaviour. To the girl, that seemed like a question for another day._

**THE END**

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A/N: It took Hogwarts castle three months after the war to fix every last broken window. McGonagall became headmaster and the school opened again in 1999; two years after the war began – with many additional new staff. The graves were never removed from the grounds.

Luna's Order of Merlin Third Class still hangs in the Ravenclaw Common Room to this day.

Zach published fifteen books altogether. The novels were based on his discoveries of previously unknown or rumoured creatures from all over the world. Eventually, he took up teaching at Hogwarts as the Professor for Care of Magical Creatures.

Dennis mastered wandlore at the age of thirty and set up a shop in Hogsmeade. Zach often said that: 'he liked a man who knew what to do with wood.' Zach and Dennis never had children because they never wanted any.

Reeah Noseworthy became a very accomplished potioneer, designing her own line of potions under the label 'Noseworthy Co.' Her Headquarters are in Diagon Alley, but she posts her products all over the country.

Blaise Zabini joined the Aurors. He was responsible for identifying and capturing many Death Eaters still on the loose after the war.

The Zabinis adopted twins from China; identical. Blaise named the girl Olivia. Reeah (for reasons still unknown) named the boy Devachandra.

Harry Potter never really settled down into a career. He proffered to stay home and raise his new family.

Ginny spent a decade as chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Then, she worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

Hermione Granger became one of the most notable voices in the movement for Werewolf Rights in wizarding history. She became the Head of the Protection of Magical Creatures Department.

Ron Weasley's Curse Breaker Department was very successful, although he constantly felt himself in rivalry with Ryuu. Much to his dismay, Venator the ferret became adept at hunting and killing weasels.

Severus Snape was buried in the Hogwarts grounds. When he'd died, there had been a small vial full of blue-white smoky gas in his robe pocket with a label saying: 'For Potter ONLY'. The vial had been delivered to Harry immediately.

Jonah eventually married Pavarti Patil; who had always liked the strong silent type.

Copper was a steady hand of wizarding law and dedicated the majority of her time tracking down war criminals to bring to justice. Her life changed in the year 2022, when she met Grace.

Norman Gladde lived on the run. The Aurors had failed to discover his true identity, and the lifetime in Azkaban penalty on his hide kept him very careful.

Ryuu's escape from the Kennels resulted in a massacre now known as The Slaves Revolt. Over three dozen Death Eaters and Snatchers were killed. Dolores Jane Umbridge died that night. The Manager was never seen again. Exactly two hundred and eighteen slaves escaped that night, including the people with Ryuu, Jonah and Copper.

To this day, the death of Lucius Malfoy is believed to be caused at the hands of General Ryuu Veil. Only two people know the truth.

Ryuu and Draco lived happily. Vipera grew up fairly normally (well as normal as you can get for a Malfoy/Veil). The Malfoys had no other children – Vipera was the first female heir.

All in all, the war slowly ended, as all things do.


End file.
